Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Heroes in a Half Shell
by LeonardoLeads
Summary: A retelling of the TMNT mythos, borrowing from all previous versions, in order to tell a new story. Follow the adventures of our four Turtle Brothers, as they protect Empire City from the foot clan, and other evils! Written in honor of the 30th anniversay of the 1987 cartoon series!
1. Chapter 1

**_The Chinese countryside, early August, 1945_ :**

Everything was a wasteland.

As he walked along the dirt roads he had known since childhood, he saw only destruction. His eyes swept across the scorched fields, burnt villages, and signs of the gruesome carnage his homeland had been forced to endure, since the fall of the last dynasty over two decades ago. In his own young life, he had known only war, and that is why he had entered the temple at an early age. But even there he had not been able to escape the fires of destruction that had consumed his homeland.

As he passed along the roads, he saw refugees feeling in every direction; mothers with their babies, men carrying everything they owned upon their backs. They mostly passed him by, ignoring the young Taoist monk in a straw hat and blue robes, but occasionally a an old man or a couple would stop him to ask for a blessing. But most of the time they ignored the strange traveler with a walking stick and and small pack at his side; they knew he was fleeing from the horror all around him, just as they were.

The young monk's name was master Mogo, and he was the only surviving member of the Taoist brotherhood of the harmonious striking foot. Once, his order had been comprised of over four hundred monks, and had possessed the grandest monastery in all of China. But the invading Japanese armies had burned down their beautiful temple, and had hunted down the monks of _the way_ and given them gruesome and painful deaths, until only he had remained. Now, Master Mogo was on his way to Shanghai on the coast, where he would take what little gold he had managed to save from the temple, and buy passage to the United States.

As he stopped to rest on a great rock near the roadside, Master Mogo sighed. He hated to leave his beloved homeland, but the middle kingdom was no longer a safe place to reside. Even as the Japanese retreated from the countryside, everyone knew China was on the brink of another civil war, one that would tear the nation apart even further; bringing more violence, and more death. To escape that violence is why Mogo had begun to follow the path of the _Tao_ as a child in the first place, and he wanted no part of the bloodshed that was to come. Reaching into his bag, he gazed upon the three books he had managed to save from the temple; the _Tao Te Ching_ , the _Zhuangzi_ , and the _Daozang_. With these three texts, he would start a new temple in the west, and continue the teachings his great masters had first taught to him.

But as he looked deeper into the bag, Mogo noticed the other object he had managed to rescue from the temple; a strange, canister-like container made of glass, filled with a glowing green liquid that was no doubt a product of Taoist Alchemy. Mogo had heard from the older monks that it contained the elixir of life, and been created by the great Tao alchemist Chang Tao Ling. They said the monastery had been guarding the alchemist's mixture for hundreds of years, and Mogo did not doubt that it was for that very reason the Japanese army had destroyed his temple, in order to claim the elixir of immortality for their emperor. At that moment, Master Mogo vowed his new order of monks would protect the green elixir, no matter what the cost!

"Hey you kids!" The monk heard a voice cry out in Japanese, causing him to jump behind and hide behind the large boulder. "Stop right there!"

Peering around the corner, Master Mogo was greeted by the sight of two haggard-looking boys being chased by a Japanese soldier. The angry-looking officer finally caught up with them near where Mogo stood, and grabbed them both by the scruff of their raggedy shirts.

"Why, you filthy little urchins!" The Japanese soldier hissed. "I'll teach you to steal food from the imperial army!"

Leaping from behind the boulder, Master Mogo swiftly attacked the angry soldier, whom he caught off guard. The officer valiantly tried to fight back, but Mogo was a master of _Wudang_ Kung Fu, like most of the monks of his temple had been. He easily knocked the soldier unconscious, and went to confront the two youths whom he had been chasing.

"All right you two, you can come out." The monk told them. "He can't chase you, or hurt you anymore."

Master Mogo spoke fluent Japanese; one of the monks at his temple had originally come from Tokyo, and had taught him the language, as well as given him his temple nickname, 'Mogo'. The two boys were reluctant to talk at first, but quickly opened up when they understood Mogo would not harm them.

"My name's Hamato Yoshi, honorable one." The first greeted Mogo, bowing.

"And I'm Oroku Nagi, noble monk." The second replied with a bow.

Master Mogo soon learned that they were orphans; fathered by two of the occupying Japanese soldiers who had taken Chinese brides a decade ago, and the pair had been abandoned as orphans after their fathers had died in battle. The two had teamed up to survive in this hellish wasteland, and Mogo was impressed by the burning determination he saw in their eyes to survive. It was just the kind of fierce spirit he would need in the new monks of his order; and besides, he could not just leave these two orphans to starve in the wastelands.

"Come with me, young ones, and I will take teach you of the path of the _Tao_." Master Mogo declared, as he gave them each a small portion of bread from his sack, and started to walk towards the horizon. "We shall leave all of this violence and death behind us, and seek a new way of enlightenment."

Yoshi and Nagi were reluctant at first, but the growling in their bellies- as well as the food they saw sticking out of Master Mogo's satchel- convinced them two follow the monk. Greedily downing the small portion the monk had given them, the two orphans continued to follow him down thew road towards a new life... and a new path.

 ** _Empire City, U.S.A., 1968:_**

Empire City; once, the shining jewel of North America's port cities. Seen at the turn of the century as a beacon of progress, it's mighty skyline was dotted with skyscrapers that served as symbols of the wealth and opulence that drew immigrants from the world. Now a far dingier and grimier place, this once-grand jewel upon America's eastern seaboard, has seen far better days in it's long and sordid history.

Within this melting pot metropolis, one of the many ethnic neighborhoods was the city's Chinatown. There, beautiful residences and elegant gardens stood side-by-side with modern restaurants, laundromats, and stores. Among these structures, great and small, stood the magnificent Taoist Temple of the Harmonious Striking Foot, the jewel and centerpiece of the whole community. It's pagoda-style red-tiled roof and columned walls evoked a strong feeling of the home country, and it's altars were covered with offerings, as well as prayers written in the _hànzì_ characters of the Chinese language. The large _Taijitu_ symbol on the wall, representing the concepts of yin and yang, stood as testament to the harmonious balance of this sacred place.

In the courtyard outside, Daoist monks Hamato Yoshi and Oroku Nagi were sparring together. No longer the children Master Mogo had rescued over two decades earlier, the two men traded punches and kicks, blocking each other's fury of blows as both combatants studied each other, each wating for an opening.

"Good, very good, Nagi." The elderly Mogo told his student, now speaking the English language of the country they all now resided in. "Don't let him get through your defenses, or you will fail."

"The master is right, my brother." Yoshi agreed, striking with a spinning kick, that Nagi barely avoided. "You fight well, but you always fail to press your advantage."

"We will see about that, brother." Nagi replied, a smug smile on his face. "We shall see who is laughing, when you are lying on the ground in pain!"

Nagi delivered a series of punches, which Yoshi easily blocked with his arms. Then, seeing an opportunity in his opponents stance, Yoshi hit Nagi with a leg sweep, which knocked the shocked fighter off of his feet.

"Ha! Looks like I win again!" Yoshi laughed, reaching out a hand to help Nagi to his feet. "The master is correct, brother, you have been distracted whenever we have sparred these few months past."

"He is not the only one who has been distracted, Hamato Yoshi." Master Mogo replied, holding up an accusing finger. "I have noticed that both of you have been distracted from your spiritual duties, turning your attention to matters of the outside world."

"No, master!" Nagi protested. "I haven't been neglecting my-!"

"Do you think I have been blind to your carousals outside of these walls, Nagi!? Do you think I have not noticed the evenings you have spent away from the temple with those women of the community!?" The old man raised his voice in anger. "I know of your shameful activities; of Yoshi spending time with that Tang Shen girl from Chinatown, as well as the illegitimate son Nagi has fathered, named Saki."

Nagi tired to speak, but knowing he had been discovered, could only hang his head in shame. Yoshi then stepped forward, and bowed to his master.

"I deeply apologize for my brother and I's transgressions, _sifu_ Mogo." Hamato Yoshi lowered his head in grief. "My brother and I should not have allowed ourselves to be distracted from our calling, and we shall strive to better follow the path in the future."

"No, Hamato Yoshi, the fault is mine." Mogo sighed, walking into the great hall. "I brought you into this life as children, and unlike the other monks at our temple, you had no choice to enter into our way of life." Walking into a small chamber behind the altar, he approached the small shrine which contained the class container filled with the elixir of life. "Ever since I first discovered the two of you when fleeing our homeland, I have molded you, training you in the martial arts to protect our most sacred treasure. I can see now, that that was an error. You should both should have been free to choose your own paths."

"No master, you did well in training and raising us." Yoshi protested, placing a hand on his master's shoulder. "You gave us everything, where we could have been left to die in the wastes. It is we who have been found lacking. Nagi and I must strive to do better, if we are to one day succeed you as heads of the temple."

But even as master and student discussed these matters, Nagi stood in silence nearby. As he watched the closeness between the man he called father and the man he called brother, a vile darkness began to grow in his shadowy heart.

It was mid afternoon a few days later, when Hamato Yoshi was returning home from a nearby pet store. After the shaming he had received from his _sifu_ , Yoshi had decided to purchase four new friends to keep him company in his room at the temple.

"Well now, my turtles... I suppose you four can keep me company, while I read my books on Renaissance artwork." Yoshi smiled, mentioning to the four turtles in the glass bowl he was carrying about his favorite pastime. "I wonder what _sifu_ and my brother will think of all of you?"

Yoshi had barely walked through the temple gates, however, when he immediately sensed something was wrong. Looking around outside the temple, Yoshi noticed the younger monks in the courtyard, practicing their move sets under Master Tatsu, the monk in charge of training. Making his way into the great hall, he heard two loud voices arguing behind the great altar... followed by what sounded like a fatal scream.

"Oh, no!" The terrified monk called out, rushing behind the curtain, still carrying his little bowl with the four turtles inside. "Master!"

What Hamato Yoshi found there, horrified the young monk beyond words. There, on the floor, lay the lifeless body of _Sifu_ Mogo. Over him stood the angry form of Oroku Nagi, clutching the glass canister of the green elixir he had stolen from the shrine behind him.

"Master Mogo..." Yoshi cried out in shock, letting the glass bowl containing the four baby turtles crash to the floor and break. "Nagi, what have you done?!"

Ororku Nagi only looked to his fellow monk for a moment, before tossing the container of green elixir towards his face, and fleeing from the room. The sealed glass container shattered against Yoshi's body, spilling all over both him and the turtles. Yoshi then began to feel a great pain tear through his body, as the strange glowing ooze began to change and twist his form.

"What-what's happening to me?" Hamato Yoshi cried out, as fur sprouted all over his body, and fangs began to grow in his mouth. "Aggrrrah!"

And as the almost magical elixir worked it's strange power on Hamato Yoshi, the noble and honorable monk who had been born under the sign of the rat, the glowing liquid transformed him into the very form of his zodiac sign. And as Yoshi stumbled around in pain, he swore he could see the little turtles from glass bowl covered in the green ooze, and they seemed to be _growing_...

It was only a few hours later, when Mater Tatsu approached Nagi in the temple's great hall.

"Well?" Nagi asked impatiently, not even looking back at his subordinate. "What do you have to report?"

"The authorities bought the story master Mogo's death was a heart attack, given his age." Tatsu replied with a bow. "And as to the other monks, they have all sworn to follow you, and the new path you seek to take the temple on."

"Very good." Nagi replied with a nod, turning to face Tatsu. "And what about Yoshi?"

"Hamato Yoshi has disappeared, along with all of the furniture and books from his room, as well as many of the weapons from the temple dojo."

"Looks like my sword brother could not deal with our _father's_ death and has decided to flee." Nagi laughed. "I doubt we will be hearing from him again. It is only a pity we lost the elixir of life... ah well, all that nonsense old Mogo told us about it's power was probably made up, anyway."

"So... what now, master Nagi?" Tatsu asked, bowing to the new head of the monastic order. "What do have have planned next for the temple of the striking foot?"

"Next, Tatsu? Next, I'm going to turn the Foot an organization to be feared." Nagi reached into his pocket, pulling out a torn magazine cover that featured the image of a masked and armored samurai covered in blades. Staring at the image, he imagined himself clad in the armor from his biological father's homeland. "Now, with our martial arts skills that old fool had taught us, we shall be a mighty clan, that shreds the hope of all who dwell in this wretched city!" He crunched up the paper in his hand. "When our Foot clan is though, my son Saki will inherit a mighty criminal empire!"

 ** _Summer, 1983:_**

"Hey Raph, bet ya can't hit me!" Michelangelo taunted his brother, jumping around the dojo, and avoiding his taller brother's blows. "You are waay to slow, dude!"

Grrr, Mikey!" Raphael replied, snarling at his sibling. "I'm gonna make you eat those words!"

The two mutants turtles traded blows, locked in a viscous sparring match while their _sifu_ watched. Mikey was getting in punches wherever he could , while jumping and flipping to avoid his bigger and stronger brother's strikes. While Raph delivered many powerful kicks, and blocked his sibling's speedy fists.

"Man, you are way too slow, bro!" Mikey teased, jumping over Raph's head, before knocking him down with a leg sweep. "You need to be fast on your feet, to keep up with me!"

"Oh, yeah?!" The hotheaded turtle declared, knocking Mikey down with an uppercut to the chin. "Well, if youse spent less time yappin' and more time fightin', ya might have won this by now!"

Mikey hit Raph with a roundhouse kick, which staggered the powerhouse turtle back a few steps. Rapheal smashed him with an elbow to the face, before trapping the smaller turtle in a bearhug.

"You're not gettin outta this one, Mikey!" Raph roared, trying to squeeze the life of his brother. "Just say uncle, and it's all over!"

Struggling against Raph, Michelangelo reached behind his head, grabbed his angry brother's shoulders, and threw him clean across the dojo. As Raph got up to charge his brother again, Splinter jumped up and cried out. "Enough!"

The two turtles took a step back, and bowed to each other. Splinter stood up, and started clapping his hands.

"Very good, my students. You have progressed well in your training." The mutant rat complimented his pupils. "Very soon, you will be ready to venture to the world above, and begin to take on real opponents."

"Thank you, sifu." Both turtles replied in unison, bowing to their teacher.

"Hey guys, we're back!" Leonardo called out, as he and Donatello came walking back in with two huge stacks of pizzas on each arm. "We would've brought another dozen pies, but Donnie couldn't carry any more."

"Hey, give me a break here!" The other turtle pleaded, setting his two stacks of pies down on the table. "I had the weight of those pizzas balanced, based on their weight and mass distribution!"

"Alright! Pizza!" Mikey exclaimed, throwing a box open, and beginning to scarf down a pepperoni, banana, and yellow pepper pizza. "Better get some before it's gone, bros!"

"Leo, did you forget the soda again!?" Raph complained, digging into a pineapple pizza. "You know Mikey, Donnie and I all love our Orange crush, we don't know how you can stand that Mr. Pibb crud you guzzle, though."

"Hey, hold on! Don't start scarfing the pizza just yet!" Leo protested, sitting at the table. "We should say a prayer thanking the three great Tainzun for this wonderful meal first!"

Grabbing a slice of anchovy pizza, Master Splinter sat down at the opposite end of the table, and stared at the four brothers with pride. His four students, his turtles, each as unique as the four different-colored bandanas they wore. Leonardo, the most spiritual and de-facto leader of the group. Mikey, the most caring and compassionate, who took as much pride in his cooking skills as his fighting prowess. Raphael, the sarcastic bruiser who was the strongest of the four brothers, and preferred settling his problems through violence. And Donatello, the intelligent master of electronic devices, who kept their lair in running order. This four were his treasured students, and his greatest personal joy.

"My turtles, when you are finished with your meals, please join me in the living room." Splinter commanded. "We must begin the next phase of your training."

"Yes, _sifu_." All four of the brothers replied in unison, before going back to their meal.

Splinter smiled; each turtle, so much different, yet each so much alike. He had given each of the four brothers a different colored bandana to wear on their tenth birthday, to symbolize how each of them was as unique as the four seasons; an important concept in Taoism. He had named them after four of the great renaissance artists, from the books on Italian art that he so loved to read as a pastime. Thinking back to when he had first seen the four brothers undergoing their transformation as infants, he was not certain why he had taken them with him when they had all fled. But now, he was eternally grateful that he had students whom he could pass on the teachings he had learned when he was a Taoist monk.

For the rat named Splinter... had once been the man named Hamato Yoshi.

After getting splashed with the strange green elixir, Hamato Yoshi had been transformed into a giant humanoid rat. Getting over the initial shock, Yoshi managed to flee from the temple, and take most of his possessions with him. Fortunately, none of the other monks had seen him in his new form, and he was able to get in and out of the monastery undetected, with all the upheaval surrounding master Mogo's death. Needing to get away from normal people after his mutation, Yoshi decided to flee into the Sewers, where there were extremely few humans to spot him. During his explorations in the tunnels, Yoshi had managed to find an old underground speakeasy with an entrance into the underground. The hidden bar from prohibition had been untouched since the gangsters abandoned it after alcohol became legal again.

After cleaning the old wine and other sleazy material out of the abandoned speakeasy, the mutant rat quickly moved himself and his turtles into their abode. With a mix of his old furniture, and the tables and chairs left in the speakeasy, the rat and the turtles were well provisioned. Yoshi also discovered the electricity and water still worked, and despite his lack of electrical and plumbing knowledge, had managed to restore the place with the help of some how-to books. That was the great advantage Yoshi had in this whole ordeal, the books, still functioning appliances, and other household items the people of Empire city threw out; one could furnish an entire living space with what Yoshi had found in dumpsters and junkyards.

And now, fifteen years had gone by... fifteen years of raising these turtles as his own students, just as master Mogo had raised him. Oh, there had been some difficulties along the way, problems Master Splinter could not have foreseen. He had not been sure on how to feed them, at first, until he remembered a pizzeria owner named Vinnie nearby, whom had owed Hamato Yoshi for once saving his life. Splinter contacted him by phone mere days after his transformation, and for the past fifteen years the turtles had been raised on steady diet of pizzas and soda. Likewise, when the turtles were only five, Splinter had found an old TV set with a broken leg. Afterward, his turtles were raised on a steady diet of whatever shows came on the air. Mikey was practically raised by old California beach and surfer movies (even starting to speak the lingo), while Donnie piratically taught himself how to be a handyman by watching do-it-yourself fix-it shows. Leo was obsessed with historical documentaries and martial arts films, while Raph was obsessed with crime specials and gangster movies, developing one detective's Brooklyn accent.

They had learned much and grown strong, Their mutated forms granted them superhuman strength and speed, increasing the turtles martial arts skills a hundred fold. And the strong and sturdy shells on their backs could withstand weapons and blows that would kill a normal man. As he looked over his four sparring students, Master Splinter knew, now more than ever, that they were nearly ready. Ready for the great task he would now entrust them with. As the four turtles finished their pizza, they all gathered in the living room, listening intently to what their master was about to say.

"My students, the time has come for you to take the next step on your journey." Splinter opened a chest, which contained the weapons he had retrieved from the temple before he fled. "Your whole lives, you have trained in the art of Wudang Kung Fu, as well as in many different styles of weapons. But now, it is time you each begin to train with unique weapons, each matching your own personality and fighting style."

Reaching into the box, Master Splinter pulled out four sets of weapons.

"This is the tekpi, the short-handed trident from Indonesia." Splinter explained, handing Raphael a pair of the dagger-like weapons. "It is the ancestor of the Okinawan sai, and will serve you well in blocking attacks or disarming opponents."

"Hey, not bad." Raph chuckled, spinning his pair of tekpi around. "Can't wait ta use these things on some street punks!"

"This is the Nangun, the fighting staff of northern China." Splinter continued, proudly handing a pair of the staffs to Donatello. "You shall strike your opponents with a force that matches your fury."

"Thank you, sifu." Donatello replied humbly, lowering his head. "I shall cherish your gifts, always."

"These are the tabak-toyok, the flail from the Philippines that can strike opponents at a distance." Splinter handed two pairs of tabak to Michelangelo. "They are much longer than their cousin, the nunchaku, and shall serve you well in battle."

"Totally awesome, master!" Mikey exclaimed, twirling his two tabaks around on their chains. "Bet I can do some totally awesome moves with these!"

"And these are the dao, the deadly blades that will slice through the injustice you shall encounter." Splinter handed the twin swords over to Leonardo, who grasped the blades tightly. "But these two swords will only be as strong as the warrior who wields them."

"Thank you, sifu." Leonardo replied humbly. "I shall try to bring honor and glory to these weapons you have given me!"

"Train well with these weapons, my turtles," Splinter told them. "For they shall prepare you for the task that lies ahead..."

 ** _Fall, 1983:_**

It was near closing time at the Empire city bank, and the tellers were busy shutting down for the evening, as the last of the customers were leaving for the day. It wasn't long before all of the employees had finished there work, and the security guard locked up the bank for the evening. It had been a day just like any other; customers cashing checks, taking out loans, and making deposits. But there was no indication anything out of the ordinary was going to happen that very night, no sign that there was going to be some kind of trouble on this cloudless evening.

It had been less than an hour after the last employee had departed, when several figures dressed all in black came jumping across the rooftops, before landing on top of the bank building. If anyone had actually been able to bear witness to these intruders, they would see what appeared to be a bunch of warriors dressed as _Kuroko_ , the shadow performers of Kabuki theater, who wore hoods that only left their eyes exposed. One of the mysterious hooded figures approached the skylight, and with a simple stroke of his _jian_ , seamlessly sliced through the glass. Nearly a dozen of the hooded figures then swarmed down though the skylight like ants, disabling the alarm system and security cameras, and silently sweeping down through the floors of the bank.

Suddenly, a bunch of ropes dropped down into the vault, and the swarm of shadow warriors descended upon their prize. The old night watchman, quietly doing his rounds, was knocked out by a simple blow to the head, and left unconscious in a nearby chair. Nimble fingers then quietly tinkered with the vault controls, overriding the great doors time-lock release, and causing it to swing wide open. The shadowy warriors moved quickly, emptying the bank vault, and placing the cash, jewellery, and other valuables into leather sacks.

After they were finished, the shadowy thieves quickly threw crawled their way back towards the ceiling, pulling up the ropes, going back through the skylight, and quietly slipping off into the night... the broken locks and empty vaults the only sign that they had ever been there in the first place. As the shadow thieves raced their way across the rooftops, their leader then pulled her mask off, revealing a young woman with dark hair and black eyes. Looking back as she ran to make sure all her subordinates were keeping up, the young woman smiled.

"Well done, my loyal foot soldiers." The woman uttered, as the all raced back towards the dojo. " _Sifu_ Shredder will be very pleased."

" _Duì_ , Mistress Lotus." The foot soldiers all replied in unison, jumping down off the rooftops, and down into the dojo's courtyard.

As the others all went to unload their loot and get cleaned up, Lotus marched up into the great hall, and kneeled before the large figure sitting on upon the throne above her.

"Lotus Blossom, report." The figure before her commanded. "How did the heist go?"

"Everything went according to plan, master shredder." Lotus replied, looking up. "We were able to steal over two million dollars from the bank, without anyone even being aware we were there."

"Very good, my loyal servant." The shredder replied, rising from his throne, and stepping out from the shadows. "This riches reaped from this heist are proof of you and your your cunning skill."

As Louts Blossom looked up, she gazed upon the intimidating form of the shredder; a red bodysuit, with a samurai-looking helmet, shoulder blades, and a pair of hand gauntlets all covered in blades. Lotus couldn't believe how much it resembled a Japanese samurai's armor, but she knew that was intentional. Shredder had chosen his armor, along with the kabuki performer outfits the foot solider wore, as a form of mockery towards his hated father's home country. They had become the symbol of the Foot clan, who can grown to become the most powerful martial arts triad on the eastern seaboard, and had come to control Empire's city's Chinatown.

"And what of our other endeavors?" The shredder asked, staring down at the young foot commander with an iron gaze. "Are they faring as well as the heist?"

"The protection rackets are turning in a strong profits, as are the gambling dens and drug dealers." Lotus replied, her distaste in the last two evident in her voice. "Also, we have completed our treaties with Don Turtelli's mob on Empire city's east side, along with Hun and his purple dragons on the north side, giving our criminal alliance complete control of the city."

"Excellent, Lotus Blossom, you have done well." Shredder complimented her, turning back towards his throne. "If it weren't for your refusal to kill, or get involved in the clan's seedier activities, you would make an excellent second in command."

Lotus winced at that stain upon her honor; being only in her teens, she was one of the last of the generation of the foot clan who remembered Mogo and his soft pacifistic stance. But then Lotus heard the sound of people approaching the throne room, and a small smile spread across her face.

" _Sifu_ shredder, your son has arrived for an audience with you." Lotus replied with a smile. "May I be dismissed?"

"What, Saki is here?" Shredder sighed. "Very well, you are dismissed. Send my son in on your way out."

Lotus bowed, before leaving the room. Moments later, Oroku Saki came strolling into the room, flanked on either side by two tough-looking thugs. seeing his son's two 'friends', the shredder scowled beneath his face-concealing mask.

"Hello, my son. I'm glad you could finally join us." The triad leader crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Now, if you would be so kind as to tell your two purple dragon friends to leave..."

"Oh, very well, father." He turned towards the overweight blonde man in camo pants, and the punk with shades and a purple mohawk. "Rocksteady, Bebop... wait for my outside. This will only take a few minutes."

"Whatever you say, boss." Rocksteady agreed, before he and Bebop walked out. The Shredder then approached his son, taking off his helmet to reveal the aged face of Ororku Nagi. "I wish you didn't waste your time with those cretins, they don't have enough brains between them to fill a shoe box."

"I saved their life once, after a police raid on a joint purple dragon-foot clan operation, and they are loyal to me unto death." Saki boasted proudly. "Besides, they can be very helpful in a fight."

"My son, you must start to take your training and position more seriously, and stop wasting all your time in nightclubs and brothels." Nagi lectured, stroking his beard. "I won't be around forever, and the day will come when yoiu must take over the mantle of the shredder, and run the foot clan."

"Ahhh, you worry far too much, father." Saki waved his hand dismissively. "I take my training seriously. And besides, you'll be around forever."

"I mean it, Saki." Nagi growled. "Your brother Kazuo betrayed the clan when he entered the police academy, and your sister Pimiko disappeared. You are the only family left I have that I can trust."

"You'd still have mom if you hadn't had the cops on your payroll put her in the funny farm." Saki pointed out.

."Let's not bring Miyoko into this." Nagi replied with a shiver. "Anyway, we have important matters to discuss. I have received word that the Yakuza have asked for our assistance in dealing with some of their problems in Japan."

"The Yakuza!? Japan?! Bah!" Saki spat angrily. "The foot clan should never associate with those Yakuza slime!"

"I don't like it any more than you do, my son. My friend Yoshi nor I ever cared much about the land our fathers came from; neither of us spoke Japanese, or knew anything about their culture." Nagi reminisced, remembering the dear friend he had betrayed. "And I don't know if I should answer their request. Still, the fact the Yakuza have taken notice of our organization, speaks to our success."

"Indeed, it would be truly fortunate if we could spread our operations to other cities." Saki replied, bowing to Nagi. "And worry not, father. when the time comes, I shall make the name of the Foot Clan feared throughout the world!"

 ** _May, 1984:_**

"...and so my turtles, after the strange green ooze transformed me into a rat, and gave you the forms of men, I brought you to live in these sewers. I changed my name from Hamato Yoshi, a name given to me by an absent and uncaring father, to Splinter, to reflect my ability to shatter boards with a mere strike." Master Splinter explained, looking at the four turtles seated in a semicircle around him. "I do not mourn for the loss of my old form, for our change is the nature of the Tao, and I believe this change is for the better."

The four turtles just sat there, stunned as their master had finally revealed the truth of their beginnings to them. As the four absorbed everything Splinter had told them, it was Raphael who finally spoke up;

"So wait, is that why you raised and trained us?" The angry turtle demanded. "To seek revenge for your dead _sifu_? To seek vengeance on your friend you betrayed you?"

"No, Raphael! I did not raise you as tools of revenge!" Splinter replied, standing to face is angry student. "I, myself, shall deal with Nagi for his betrayal. The reason I raised and trained all of you, was to carry on my teachings and studies after I am gone. To use your martial arts training to make sure these kinds of injustices never happen to anyone else, ever again!"

Master Splinter collapsed back into his chair, exhausted from his outburst. The four turtles looked upon him with concern, until Leonardo rose, and went to put a hand on his master's shoulder.

"Sifu, do not worry about it. We are eternally grateful that you raised and taught us." Leo replied calmly. "You are a man of peace, master, and do not desire combat. Therefore, let us fight in your place. We shall take down the shredder and his foot clan, while you remain here."

"No, my student. It shall not be you and your brothers who faces this challenge." The rat replied, finally making his mind up. "We shall both go to face this battle... together."

"All right, man! I so totally can't believe it!" Mikey added, getting himself excited. "We're gonna go and take on the bad guys! This is so totally rad!"

"Don't get so excited about it, Mikey." Donatello cautioned his brother. "This is going to be a gritty martial arts battle, not a superhero fight from one of your comic books."

"I just cant' wait to bust some heads!" Raph exclaimed, cracking his knuckles. "I mean we had a few warm-up fights with a couple of street punks, but this is gonna be our first real challenge!"

And as the four turtles made their preparations for battle, Master Splinter began to wonder if he was doing the right thing.

The four brothers raced across the rooftops of Empire city, clad only in eye masks, belts with side straps, and elbow and knee pads. Leonardo stood in the front of the four, pulling his swords out as they approached the temple. Behind him, Raph pulled out his tekpi, and Mikey began to twirl his tabaks. Leaping from the final rooftop down into the temple courtyard below, Donnie used his nangun to steady his landing beside his three siblings. It took only seconds for the foot clan to notice their presence.

"Brothers, we are under siege!" Tatsu's voice cried out, as the others raced to get their weapons. "To arms! To arms!"

A sea of costumed and uncostumed foot soldiers poured out of the temple, racing towards the turtles. The four terrapins readied themselves, as the two forces clashed in the middle of the courtyard.

It was a furious battle; sword clashed against axe, staff against spear. Mikey raced along, slamming his tabaks into the skulls of the foot soldiers, knocking them aside. Raph caught another foot swinging a jian at him with his tekpi, flipping him over his head, before leaping forward and stabbing another in the legs. Donnie used his staff to block two foot soldiers thrusting spears at him, then slamming each of them in the gut, causing them to drop. The four turtles moved through the temple like a hurricane; knocking, stabbing, and kicking their way to victory.

"Man, this is totally awesome!" Mikey called out, as he struck a foot solider on either side with his twirling tabaks. "It's like playing a real life video game!"

But the four were not without injury. The knives and swords of the foot soldiers slashed and stabbed at the turtles, cutting open wounds on their arms and legs that bled profusely. As the turtles whittled down the number of foot soldiers, Tatsu and Lotus waded their way out into the battle.

"Foolish turtles!" The large, angry commander of the foot soldiers cried out. "I shall crush the life out of you!"

Raph swung his tekpi at him, and Tatsu grabbed the two daggers, and threw the angry turtle over his shoulders like a rag doll. Donatello sweeped under the giant with his bow staff, only to have Tatsu leap over it, and jump over the turtle, headbutting him. Mikey swung both of his tabak at Tatsu's midsection, only to have the giant catch them, grab the twirling chain-sticks out of his hands, and beat the party dude over the head with them. Tatsu hit the three turtles with a flurry of punches, kicks, terrible blows down upon the terrapin trio.

"Man, we are so totally getting our shells kicked in!" Raph growled, as he and the others dodged another flurry of blows. "We gotta do something, before this guys grounds us into turtle soup!"

"Well then, we'll just have to hit him with strength in numbers!" Donatello declared. "Hit him all at once!"

The all three charged in; Mikey hit him high with an uppercut, Raphael struck him in the midsection with a body blow, and Donnie took his feet out from under him. Finally knocking him off of his feet, the three turtles continued to pound on the giant, until he passed into blissful unconsciousness.

"Aw, yeah! We took the big guy down for the count!" Mikey exclaimed."COWABUNGA!"

"You know, we really got to stop you from watching those surfer movies." Donnie sighed, shaking his head.

At the same time, Leonardo had engaged the warrior Lotus Blossom in combat, crossing his dao with her jian. The two opponents dueled fiercely across the battlefield, as the sound of their clanging swords echoed throughout the temple.

"You fight well, noble _gui_." Lotus snarled, parrying one of Leonardo's blows. "But I cannot let you defeat me!"

"I understand, most honorable warrior." Leo replied, blocking several sword strikes from Lotus. "But you must understand, I cannot allow you to win, either!"

The two continued their swordplay- thrust, parry, backstroke, forward stab- almost like two dancers across the battlefield, until both warriors were weary with exhaustion. But as he was blocking a blow, Leonardo spied a foot solider taking aim at him with a bow... firing an arrow that would go through both him and Lotus.

"Look out!" Leo cried out, jumping at Lotus, and knocking her out of the way of the arrow. As the foot soldier turned and fled, Lotus stared at the turtle in shock.

"You... you saved my life." Lotus Blossom said in disbelief. "even when my fellow foot soldiers betrayed me."

"That should say something to their honor." Leo replied, shaking his head. "Is this really a clan you wish to be a part of?"

"This place never has been the same since Master Mogo perished." Lotus replied, sheathing her sword, and bowing to Leonardo. "Farewell, noble _gui_. Until we meet again."

"I certainly hope so." Leo replied with a smile, watching the warrior woman run out of the temple.

From a window above, the shredder watched the battle unfold, as the last of his subordinates were cut down by the four terrapins. Recognizing their fighting style and movements, Oroku Nagi remembered the four turtles in the glass bowl from that night sixteen years ago. The pieces slowly came together in his mind, and he realized where the four turtles had come from.

"So, that green Elixir of transmutation did have some power, after all." Nagi thought aloud. "Very well, let Hamato Yoshi's four pets come for me. As weakened as they are from battle, they shall fall easy prey to my blades."

"It is not them you shall be facing, Ororku Nagi." A familiar voice from the past called out, as a large humanoid rat emerged from the darkness. "They were but a distraction, I am the true enemy you must face!"

"Hamato Yoshi!?" Nagi asked in disbelief, as he stared down the rodent. "It appears the elixir had it's effect on you as well."

"You betrayed the man who took us in, fed us, clothed us, and raised us!" Splinter snarled, raising a jian he had stolen from a nearby weapons rack, and taking a fighting stance." And now you will pay for that crime!"

"Very well, Yoshi. I had intended to spare your life when you fled, but now you shall face the shredder." Nagi raised his wrist blades. "And even if you slay me, my son shall carry on the legacy of all that I have built!"

The two old masters lunged at each other, entering a battle that made the melee below looking like a schoolyard brawl. Splinter swung his Jian at the shredder, who blocked the attack with his wrist blades. Shredder then roundhouse kicked the old rat backward, slashing him across the chest several times, forcing the staggered splinter back.

"Ha! Who's the one getting distracted, now?" Shredder sneered, shoving the mutant rat backward. "It was unwise of you to return, Hamato Yoshi! I am a far more experienced fighter now, than back when we used to spar!"

"And far older and slower, it appears!" Splinter retorted, leaping up and kicking his opponent backward like a kangaroo. "While my mutation has made me healthier and stronger, despite my age!"

The two fought all across the room, trading blows and kicks, with each looking for an opening. Their battle then took them out onto the balcony above the courtyard, where the shredder was able to put Splinter on the defensive.

"Master Mogo was like a father to us!" Splinter spat, as he and shredder struggled over the jian. "You had no right to betray and murder him!"

"He was holding us back, Yoshi! Preventing the order of the Striking Foot from reaching it's true potential!" He slashed at Splinter's face with his wrist blades, causing the rat to let go of the jian. "You were always to busy playing the 'dutiful little son' to realize that!"

"Farewell, my sworn brother." Picking up the dropped sword, the shredder held it high above Splinter's head. "May you find peace in the realms of the immortals."

But just before shredder could strike, Master Splinter spotted a thermite grenade hanging on his foe's belt. Reaching around with his tail, he pulled the grenade's pin activating it.

"What have you done!?" The shredder panicked, dropping the sword as he heard the grenade beeping. "NOOOOOO!"

KABOOM!

Splinter leaped free from the balcony, as the explosion tore Nagi's body to pieces. The turtles, who had finished up with the foot soldiers in the courtyard, came running up to check on their sifu.

"Master Splinter, are you all right?" Donnie asked in concern, looking the old rat over. "That explosion was so large, it could have disintegrated you!"

"Yes, Donatello, I think I'll be fine." Master splinter groaned, ready to collapse from his wounds. "I just think I need to return to the lair, and get some rest."

From behind them, Splinter and the turtles heard the roaring of flames.

"Whoa, dude! It looks like that big boom boom started a fire!" Mikey exclaimed, as he and the other turned back to face what remained of the temple. "Guess the boys in blue will be here soon."

"Which means we'd better get out of here." Leo replied, as he and Donnie helped the wounded Splinter along. "Come on, everybody, this show is over."

"Boy, I'll say." Raph replied, looking back at the blaze. "It looks like the shredder... has been shredded."

...

"Father!" Oroku Saki cried out, as he and his two purple dragon punks approached the burning temple. "Nooo!"

"Stay back, boss!" Bebop yelled, as he and Rocksteady held the frantic son of the shredder back. "You run in there, and you're gonna get fried!"

Just then, the towering form of Tatsu emerged from the flames badly bruised and burned, and carrying some kind of bundle under his arms. The foot martial arts instructor walked straight up to Saki and his two friends, before collapsing onto the ground.

"Tatsu! What happened here?!" Saki demanded, lifting his old teacher up. "Where's my father?!"

"The shredder... gone." Tastu muttered, barely coherent. "Turtles... it was... turtles."

"Turtles? What do you mean 'it was turtles? How-" But when Oroku Saki looked up, he saw the forms of four terrapins running away fro the burning temple. "By the void of Wu Chi..." He uttered in disbelief.

"I think we must be drunk, boss!" Rocksteady gasped, rubbing his eyes with his fists. "Cause I think I just saw four Kung Fu toitles running outta dat fire."

"Saki... you, are shredder now." Tatsu gasped out, handing the bundle to the young man. When Saki opened it, he found his father's extra shredder helmet, shoulder pads, and bladed gauntlets... along with another canister of the green glowing elixir.

"What-what is this?" Saki asked in disbelief. "Where did you get-?"

"Your father found it... in another Taoist temple... after we overthrew Master Mogo... and exiled Yoshi." Tatsu gasped out, as he felt the darkness overwhelm him. "Use it to create warriors... to fight those turtles... and avenge your father..."

And as Tatsu breather his last, Oroku Saki saki quietly closed his old teacher's eyes in death. Looking at the canister filled with green elixir, he turned his gaze towards Rocksteady and Bebop.

"Boys, prepare yourself for an extreme power up." Saki exclaimed, slipping on the helmet, blades, and gauntlets. "And then, after we rebuild the foot, the shredder is going to dine on turtle soup..."

 **-END-**


	2. Chapter 2

**Episode 2; of Mobsters and Mutants**

The channel six building; the medium-sized tower that stood near the center of Downtown Empire City. The most popular television station on the airwaves in this metropolis, it had one of the most varied lineups of television programming. From the wildlife show _monster hunter_ with Jack Marlin, to the hardcore talk show _On trial_ with Clayton Kellerman, all of these shows enjoyed high ratings. But nothing on the network was watches as much as Channel Six's evening news program, which all of the city's inhabitants looked towards for journalistic truth and clarity.

"...and so, the authorities are still baffled by the mysterious fire at the Foot Dojo and temple last week, which seems to have decimated the largest and most powerful of the Chinatown triads here in Empire City." The reporter told the camera. "And that's our news for today. This is April O' Neal, Channel Six News, saying see you next week!"

The cameras ceased to roll, and the evening news crew wrapped up the program. The reporter who had just been talking set down her microphone, and made her way off the news set. She made her way back to the news station's sound room, where she approached another woman working at a computer console.

"Hey, Irma!" The reporter greeted the other woman. "So, how was my performance out there today?"

"Oh! April, it's only you!" The startled Irma replied, nearly falling out of her chair in surprise. "Oh, you were as good as always. I don't think you ever had a bad day on camera."

Irma never could understand why April was worried about her appearance; with her red hair, perfect figure, and brown eyes, April O' Neal was probably the most photogenic reporter in Empire city. She always looked good on camera, even in that ridiculous yellow jumpsuit she always insisted on wearing. While little old Irma Langstien was a frumpy nerd in coke bottle glasses, blue sweater, and purple dress would never show hosting the six o' clock news. The only place Irma was valued was back here, behind the camera, a fact she had long ago learned to live with.

"Awww, you're just saying that to be nice." April replied with a Sigh. "I think I barely do well enough to hang onto my job."

"Boy, I'll sure say you do!" A snobbish male voice agreed, as another reporter joined them in sound room. "I don't know why Brune lets you handle the crime beat, I'm his best reporter."

"Oh, hi Vernon. I didn't hear you slither up." Irma replied, rolling her eyes. "And if you mean best coward, then you're totally right."

Calling himself Vern "The Falcon" Fenwick, Vernon had gotten his job as a lifestyle reporter by sucking up to their boss. The little creep spent most of his time covering dog shows and grand openings, being too cowardly to actually try to cover any hardcore news stories. Still, he made enough of a pain of himself at channel six, that nobody really liked the sleazy little creep.

"Hmph! You hardly seem to be one to talk, given you never go out into the field!" The selfish yuppie in the pink shirt and suspenders scoffed. "Us real reporters are the only ones who know where the action is!"

"Just ignore him, Irma!" April sighed, as Vernon stormed out of the room. "C'mon, lets go get a a pizza from Vinnie's, okay?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Irma sighed. "Just let me go back to the lounge, and get my purse."

The sound technician stood up, and headed down the hallway, when she happened to pass Brune Tompson's office. Irma heard voices coming from inside, and couldn't help herself from listening in;

"I'm tellign yaz, Mister Tompson, yaz better lay off on the stories attackin' the Empire City mob!" A slightly oily voice hissed, with a slight hint of menace in his tone. "Don Turtelli wants yez ta have that April dame stick to covering fashion shows, ya hear?"

"Never, you odious slime ball! Channel six has always stood for bringing truth and integrity to the good people of Empire City!" She heard her boss, the middle-aged Brune Thompson declared angrily. "Back in my day, when Charles Pennington was the boss of Channel six, I was a beat reporter who helped bring down Tony Puzorelli and his criminal empire. And now, I'll be more than happy to help bring down your boss, and all of his cronies. Now, if you'll be so kind as to GET THE HELL OUT OF MY OFFICE!"

The three mobsters then emerged from the door, and passed the surprised Irma. Looking over the three thugs, she recognized them from their photos in the channel six news archives; Baby Face Cleaver, Pinky McFingers, and Mugsy Mcguffin- cartoonish nicknames Channel Six had given them, to make the crooks sound ridiculous. The three gangsters, dressed in business suits and fedoras that looked like they came right out of an old gangster film, made their way down the opposite end of the hallway, until Pinky glared back at the sound technician.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Irma apologized, racing down the hall. "I was just going to get my purse, goodbye!"

"Boys, I think that dame might o' heard us back there." Pinky glared after her, pulling out a switchblade. "I'm afraid we're gonna hafta follow her... and put her on ice!"

...

April and Irma were approaching Vinnie's pizzeria, a fine establishment on the border between Chinatown and little Italy. The two were joking about the recent episode of the soap opera _John and Marsha_ , and didn't notice the sound of footsteps coming up behind them. As they rounded the corner into a dark alley, the two women noticed Pinky and Cleaver approaching from the front, while Mugsy approached them from behind.

"Yeah, I totally think John is cheating on Marsha, and-" Irma suddenly stopped, looking up to see the three gangsters approaching. "-uh oh... April, I think we have company!"

"Hey there, dolls." The diminutive Cleaver greeted them, as he and Pinky pulled out their switchblades. "Heading over to Vinnie's for a nice cut?"

"Well, maybe we could help you goils." Mugsy continued, pulling out a billy club. "Sorry we gotta do this, but we need ta make sure your boss gets the message..."

Pinkie closed in on the two for the two, causing Irma to pick the surprised thug up, and flip him over her head.

"Hiiiiyaaaa!" Irma cried out, as Pinkie was sent flying into the garbage. "Don't mess with a girl who took Judo classes for self defense!"

"And I'm not defenseless, either!" April cried out, whipping out a can of mace, and spraying cleaver in the face. "Take that!"

"Ahhh, my eyes!" The thug cried out, stumbling backwards. "Why, you little-"

The three thugs all pulled out their guns, and April and Irma suddenly didn't so confident anymore. But as the gangsters closed in, a tekpi dagger went flying over to the nearby streetlight, shattering the bulb. The whole alleyway was bathed in darkness, as the thugs heard the sound of four bodies rushing up to them.

"Hey, what gives?"

"Look out!"

"They're everywhere!"

"Argah!"

POW! CRUNCH! BANG! THUD!

The two women heard the sounds of swift punching and kicking, accompanied by the terrified screams of the thugs as they took a terrible beating. They heard the sound of Pinkie and Mugsy hitting the ground, followed by the sound of Cleaver trying to run away, only to be knocked down by a pair of tabak being thrown at the back of his head.

"Whoa, dude!" A voice called out of the darkness. "I, like, totally nailed him!"

April fumbled around, trying to find the small flashlight in her purse. By the time she finally found it, she snapped the light on to find the three goons tied up, having been beaten senseless by their mysterious heroes. Just beyond the reach of the light, April and Irma saw four bulky figures standing in the shadows.

"You... I don't know you all of you are, but... thank you, for saving our lives," Irma stated gratefully. "Those creeps would've killed us if you hadn't come along."

"Don't worry about it." One of them replied, as the four shadowy figures bowed to the women. "It was just pure luck we were heading to Vinnie's for a pizza."

"Um, I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but..." April replied uncertainly. "... could you please step into the light, so we could see you."

"Ummmm, I'm not so sure that's really a good idea, dudette." Another one of the shapes responded. "My bros and I aren't exactly... normal."

"Hey, we're news people, we've seen plenty of weird." Irma laughed. "Please, if you could show yourselves, we promise we won't laugh."

"Okay, if you insist." A third voice sighed. "But no matter what you see, you have to promise not to scream."

The two women nodded, and the four figures emerged from the shadows... to reveal four tall, anthropomorphic turtles, all dressed in martial arts gear, and carrying weapons. The two women's eyes went wide, as they stared at the mutants in shock and horror.

"You... you're not human!" April cried out. "You're turtles!"

"Oh, we're dealin' with a real mind here." Raphael rolled his eyes.

"I-I can't handle this..." Irma muttered, staring in disbelief.

As the two sides stared at each other, April began to slowly reach for the Polaroid camera in her purse. Moving like lightning, the four turtles quickly vanished down a nearby manhole, without another word. It took the two women a moment to recover from their shock, before the reporter noticed they left the manhole cover off in their haste to depart.

"April, wait! Where are you going?!" Irma protested, as April jumped down the manhole after them. "What are you thinking, follow four green monsters into the sewers?!"

"Four big monsters who saved our lives! These guys could be superheroes, Like those Justice Force guys in the comic books you waste your time on!" April motioned for her friend to follow. "This could be the biggest scoop Empire City has ever seen!"

"But April, the Justice Force isn't real!" Irma moaned, before following April down the ladder. "Still, if they had turned out to be a handsome as Silver Sentry or Nobody under those masks, I wouldn't complain." The computer nerd thought aloud, geeking out. "Hmmm, I wonder if they have the power of Super speed, Like Zippy Lad, or the flight power of Raptarr! that would be really cool...!"

Irma and April struggled together, and pulled the sewer lid back into place, leaving the unconscious thugs tied up in the alley behind them.

...

"Greetings April O' Neal, and welcome to our humble home." Splinter greeted the reporter. "My students and I recognize you from your news program on television, and it is truly an honor to meet you in person."

"Aiiieeeee! It's a rat!" Irma cried out in terror. "It's a giant, talking rat!"

"Eeek! Loot out!" April cried. "It might be rabid!"

The reporter and her nerdy friend had tracked the turtles back to their lair, where the two encountered Master Splinter for the first time. After getting the two women calmed down, Splinter managed to tell them the story of how he and the turtles mutated.

"And that is how my students and I, all came to be as you see us now." The old _sifu_ finished. "They now protect the city above from threats like the gangsters who attacked the two of you. Such is their role in the _Tao_."

"So, you mean to tell me, that the strange ooze in that canister managed to turn you all into... into mutants?" April uttered in disbelief. "But that's that's incredible!"

"You were right April, they really are super heroes!" Irma added excitedly. "They're a bunch of, like, teenage mutant ninja turtles!"

"Well, technically speaking, Miss Langstien, we're not exactly ninjas." Leonardo corrected. "In truth, we practice a form of Taoist Kung-fu, that-"

"Face it Leo; to most people, anyone who does any form of martial arts is considered a Ninja." Raph sighed. "I guess they've all just been watching too many martial arts flicks."

"Anyway, you guys are incredible!" April exclaimed, pulling out her camera. "When I report on you, you'll be the biggest story of the twentieth century!"

"Whoa, now just hold on there a minute!" Donatello protested. "If you put us on the six o' clock news, every scientist in the city will be down here, trying to capture and dissect us!"

"He's right, April! These guys saved our lives!" Irma agreed. "We can't just reveal them to the whole world!"

"Oh phooey! I guess your right, Irma!" April sighed. "But what an amazing scoop this would've made!"

The turtles and their two guests continued to talk, with the reptiles asking about the world above, and April and Irma pressing for details about their lives underground. Finally, as suppertime drew near, Raph and Mikey then went to retrieve a bunch of fresh pizzas from Vinnie's.

"Here we go, dudettes!" Michelangelo exclaimed, setting down several of the boxes. "Pepperoni and double cheese, go ahead and chow down!"

"Mmmmm! This is so good!" April exclaimed, helping herself to a slice. "How ironic, since we were going to grab a pizza at Vinnie's, anyway!"

"Now April, would you mind telling us why those gangsters were trying to kill you?" Leonardo asked, as he took a slice of pizza, too. "Did you witness them committing some kind of crime?"

"Actually, those goons worked for Don Turtelli. He's the big boss of the mafia here in Empire city." April O' Neal explained. "his mob has committed countless crimes, from theft, to murder, to extortion, to racketeering. Our boss has been trying to expose his criminal activities for years, and his goons attacked us because Irma overhead them threatening Mr. Tompson."

"So, it's another group of criminals causing suffering to the innocent, hm?" Leo, asked, polishing his sword. "We dealt with shredder and the foot when they were causing trouble for Empire City, perhaps it's time we look towards bringing down this Don Turtelli."

"What?! No way, Leo!" Raphael protested, standing up to face his brother. "These are mafiosi we're taking about here! With real guns! I've seen these guys on documentaries, and this ain't like knocking around a Kung-fu triad!"

"Raphael's right, Leonardo. These criminals are not like the Foot." Splinter agreed."In some ways, this Don Turtelli will be a far more dangerous foe than the shredder ever was. But we cannot seek out a confrontation with this enemy, it is the way of the Tao to only seek confrontation for defense."

"But taking these villains out would be defending the city, Master Splinter. Just like taking the foot out prevented them from hurting more people." Leo scowled. "As I am a practitioner of _Youxia_ , the code of _Junzi_ demands I prevent these villains from harming the innocent!"

"There you go with that Chinese knight and chivalry crud again!" Raph snapped, getting in his face. "Look, I wanna help too, Leo, but I don't wanna get us killed!"

"Wow, Irma was right, you guys really are like super heroes, protecting the weak and all." April smiled, shaking her head. "Maybe you can help this city, it certainly needs all the help it can get."

"And maybe we can help each other out too, Miss O' Neal." Leo explained. "We plan to protect this city from criminals, and our exploits could give you lots of fodder for news stories... provided you leave us out of your reports."

"Hey yeah, Leo's right!" Raph agreed, realizing where his brother was going with this. "And you can help us by getting into places we can't go,. and getting us info we can't get!"

"No, my students! You must not!" Splinter protested. "You cannot endanger Miss O' Neal's life with the dangerous lives you lead!"

"Actually Splinter, this could work out really, really well." April replied, a smile slowly spreading across her face. "Guys, I think this might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship..."

Meanwhile, Irma had followed Michelangelo and Donatello back to the living room, where Mikey was asking about April.

"So like, why is that dudette so obsessed with her news stories and journalism?" The surfer turtle asked, kicking back in an easy chair. "She seems a little high strung."

"Oh, April's always been like that, ever since she was a little girl." Irma replied with a laugh, reclining in an old tire swing hanging in the middle of the room. "Her mom and dad were killed in a car accident when she was little, and she was raised by her uncle August O' Neal, and Aunt Agatha 'Marbles' O' Neal. The two were adventurers, and always pushed April to do her best, and it kinda made her a bit of an overachiever."

"And what about you, Irma Langstien?" Donatello asked, relaxing on the couch. "What's your story?"

"What's there to say? Grew up in a super-conservative home with strict parents, I attended weekly synagogue, and I have a train wreck of a love life." Irma laughed. "The only thing I do for fun is tinker with electronics, and read read Justice Force comics."

When she said that last sentence, both turtles suddenly perked up.

"Whoah, dudette! You read Justice force?" Mikey exclaimed. "That's sooo awesome! Have you seen the issue where Dr. Dome uses his insecticide ray to try and kill Bugman and Chrysalis? Or the one where Electrozapper was short-circuited by the awesome waves of Tsunami?"

"Yeah, I have both of those issues." Irma replied with a giggle, giving Mikey a high five. "Always cool to meet another comic book nerd."

"And you said you tinkered with electronics?" Donnie asked hopefully. "Maybe you could help me in my lab?"

"Sure, I'd be happy to." Irma replied. "You an inventor, Donatello?"

"Well, I'm really good at tinkering with stuff, but I haven't invented anything yet." He admitted. "I just learned basic science and electronics from PBS programs programs, and how-to books people dropped threw away. Oh, and I studied engineering at Dr. Philo Sopho's engineering correspondence school." He smirked. "I usually repair the lair's electronic appliances back in my lab."

"Really? Well, I studied electrical engineering at Sopho university in person; the professor is a bald, lecherous creep, let me tell you." Irma gestured towards the hallway. "C'mon, why don't you show me your lab, and we can compare notes."

"Ohhh, and I'll come along, and we can compare comics!" Mikey added eagerly. "I never get to talk about this stuff with my bros!"

"Sounds like fun." Irma added, as the three made their way to Donnie's lab.

...

As the sun set over Empire city, an important meeting was about to take place down by the docks. Several small motor boats made their way out into the harbor, pulling up to a large yacht anchored just outside territorial waters. The mobsters aboard the vessels climbed up the ladder, and onto the yacht, gathering at the request of their boss.

As his men helped him up the ladder, the mob boss known as 'Big' Louie Calabria was looking at the arrival of the _caporegime_ \- the mob lieutenants who were responsible for running the city's various underworld operations. They had all gathered here for a special meeting at the don's request, for a very special meeting the regarding recent events in the city.

As they all filed into the yacht's large meeting room, each _mafiosi_ sat down at the boardroom table, one by one. First was Tony "The Butcher" Vivaldi, the owner of the nightclub _the meat rack_ , and head of all the city's protection rackets. Next to him sat Wolf Jackson, the overlord of the the mob's gambling dens in the city. And on the opposite side of the table, sat Angus "Mad Dog" McMutt, a Scottish mobster who married into the mob. All of these mobsters sat patiently, drinking the martinis they had been served, while awaiting the boss they all served.

It was only a short time, before Rudolfo Turtelli- Don of the Empire City mob- came strolling into the room, a beautiful blonde on each arm. The man towered over the table, his dark suit, long coat, and fedora making him look like some kind of executioner. Motioning for the two voluptuous women to leave, Don Turtelli took his seat at the head of the table, and called the meeting to order.

"As youse all may know, there has been some unfortunate events have occurred recently in our fair city." The Don explained, playing with a feather he pulled out of his coat. "First, a group of kung-fu vigilantes managed to destroy the Foot Clan triad's dojo, eliminating our allies in Chinatown."

"I hoid about dat incident from some informants in Chinatown." Tony Vivaldi replied. "Dey say it was some kinda toitle monsters and a rat guy."

"Then, we received woid some nut in a hockey mask has popped up in purple dragon territory, and has been murdering gang members in gruesome and violent ways." The Don slammed his fist onto the table. "Now, three mooks I sent to ruff up that Thompson guy at channel six got beat up by those toitle freaks! We cannot let this challenge to our authority go unanswered!"

"So, what are we gonna do?" Wolf Jackson asked, drumming his fingers on the table. "How are we gonna find the four turtles, or that nut with the golf clubs and baseball bats?"

Listening to the others mobsters talk, the wheels in Big Louie's head began to turn. For years now, he had served as _Consigliere_ \- the right hand man to Don Turtelli, who had replaced Antonio Puzorelli as head of the Empire city mafia. Big Louie had watched Turtelli run this organization into the ground; choosing white collar crime that turned a small profit over more brutal crimes that could turn a larger profit. Turtelli was the mockery of all the other mob Dons in all the major cities; they called him Don 'the tickler' Turtelli in mockery of his weakness. The other bosses in the city were ready for a change, and maybe he was just the thug to make change happen...

"Boss, we cannot let dese challenges to to us and our triad and street gang allies go unanswered!" Big Louie spoke up. "I says we gotta lure these toitles out in the open, and rub em out! And you gotta be the one to do it!"

"What?!" Don Turtelli demanded. "ME?! Empire City's boss of bosses?! Louie, are you outta your mind?!"

"Many here in Empire city are questioning you, boss." The _Consigliere_ stood up. "Dey claim Don Turtelli is going soft. Youse gotta prove you still got the moxie, and are still worthy of leadin dis mob!"

Turtelli glared at Big Louie; this snot nose punk you used to follow him around Empire City's Italian neighborhood when they were kids, doing all of Turtelli's dirty work for him. Big Louie had come up through the mafia ranks as Turtelli's, right-hand man, but he had failed to hide his ambition for the top spot. The Don knew very well his _Consigliere_ wanted his position, but he knew of know way to back down from the challenge without losing face in front of all of his gathered lieutenants and enforcers.

"Very well, Louie... I shall deal wit dese toitles myself!" Turtelli declared, slamming his fist so hard on the table, that it broke. "Tony, give me about ten of your boys... I'm gonna go old school mob, and hold an old fashioned heist to flush these wretched reptiles outta their holes!"

...

The Empire City museum of natural history was alive with activity, as the middle of the day saw school groups and and families were looking at all of the displays. Among the newest of these exhibits was the Turtellini Emerald, a fine gemstone on loan from the Turtellini gemstone collection, which had garnered a great deal of attention since it's arrival a few weeks ago. Security on the gemstone was extremely tight, with the museum staff extremely nervous about the possibility on the theft of the gemstone.

Still, few people paid attention when several individuals in three-piece-suits and fedoras came in one by one, taking positions at different points in the museum. And as the museum closed for the day, an employee approached one of the fancy-dressed gentleman.

"Ummm, excuse me, sir?" He tapped the suited man on the shoulder. "I'm sorry to bother you, but it's closing time."

"That's just what I wanted ta hear!" The thug pulled out a pistol, as the others gangsters pulled out their weapons. "Okay, nobody move! This is a stickup!"

"Look out! He's got a gun!"

"Aieeeeee!"

The few remaining museum patrons put their hands in the air, as the gangsters rounded them all up into a circle. Don Turtelli then approached the glass case, smashing it open with his fist, and taking the emerald.

"Hey, boss! Is this exactly a good idea?" One of the thugs asked. Stealing the emerald in broad daylight, unmasked, with all these witnesses and security cameras?"

"Don't be an idiot, dis gemstone belongs to my family! We're the ones paying for this exhibit!" Turtelli laughed, as he opened a large trunk the gangsters have left just outside the museum door, and began to pass out the Tommy guns to his thugs. "After we ice those toitles, I'll just pay the right people off, and claim this was all a publicity stunt!"

It wasn't long before the police and news media had gathered outside, and one reporter in particular was ahead of the others.

"This is April O' Neal, for Channel six news, reporting to you live from the Empire city museum." The reporter told the camera. "Inside, a bunch of fiendish gangsters are attempting to steal the Turtellini Emerald..."

Even as April spoke, the four turtles were racing their way across the rooftops, landing on top of the museum. As Donnie fiddled with the skylight window, Mikey wouldn't stop going on and on about the time they had spent with Irma.

"Dudes! You so totally won't believe what Donnie and Irma are planning!" Mikey exclaimed excitedly. "They're gonna make us these cool little walkie-talkie thingies, and they've even got plans to rebuild an old VW bus her dad owned in the 60's, into a real party wagon for us!"

"Not now, Mikey!" Raph snapped angrily. "We gotta get in there, and take those thugs out, before they can hurt anyone!"

"Would you two be quiet, please? I'm trying to work here!" Donnie snapped. After a few minutes, the turtles heard a soft _click_ , and he opened the skylight window. "Okay guys, we're in!"

"Everybody stay cautious." Leo warned, as the four turtles attached the grappling hooks April and Irma had given them. "We're lucky April was able to tell us about this heist first, let's make sure we can get in and take those thugs down before the cops do."

But the moment the four turtles feet touched the floor, eleven gangsters came pouring into the room, pointing their weapons at the four mutants.

"Oh, shell!" Raphael exclaimed. "They found us!"

"It's the toitles!" Don Turtelli exclaimed. "Waste em!"

The gangsters all opened fire, sending a hailstorm of bullets at the turtles. The four heroes each ducked and covered behind some of the exhibits, turning their shells towards the gunfire. The bullets nicked and scratched at their back shells, sending small chipped bits of turtle shell flying everywhere.

"Hey, they can't get though our shells!" Donnie laughed. "We're bulletproof!"

"No, our shells are bulletproof, we're sitting ducks!" Raph snapped. "Oh, really good strategy you had here, fearless leader! Getting us pinned down like sitting ducks!"

"Oh, back off, Raph!" Leo snapped at his sarcastic brothers. "Everybody, wait until they change clips, then jump em'!"

The gangsters continued to bury the turtles beneath a hail of bullets, until their gun magazines clicked empty. The four turtles jumped out from hiding and directly attacked the thugs.

"Hiiii-ya!" Leonardo somersaulted towards two of the gangsters, slicing off the tops of their guns with his swords. "Guns are for cowards!"

"Hey!" One of them cried out.

"Hah!" Mikey twirled his tabaks, wrapping the chain and handles around the gangster's guns, and pulling the weapons out of their hands. "Heads up, dudes!"

"Why you little-!" Another gangster yelled.

Two more thugs finally got their weapons reloaded, and got ready to fire. Raphael quickly threw his two tekpi right into the barrels of the Tommy guns as the gangsters opened fire, causing the two weapons to explode in their hands.

"AGRAHHHHHHH!" The two thugs cried out, as they were knocked to the ground.

"Thugs may fight with bullets..." Donnie exclaimed, swinging his staff around in a circle, knocking three more of the gangsters off their feet. "...but turtles fight with honor!"

"You mooks! You're getting your tails kicked by a bunch a tortoises!" Turtelli yelled angrily. "Ice these deadbeats!"

"Turtles, he's the boss!" Leo called out, pointing at Turtelli. "I think we found our one safe spot!"

The four turtles jumped in front of the surprised Don Turtelli, as the remaining gangsters trailed their guns on the reptile quartet.

"No, you idiots!" The terrified Turtelli raised his arms in protest. "Don't shoot, you'll hit-!"

The turtles jumped out of the way, just as the gangsters opened fire. The shower of bullets riddled the body of Don Turtelli, riddling his body with bullets, and splattering blood everywhere.

"AGRAGHHHHHHH!" Turtelli cried out, as he dropped over on the floor, dead.

"Boss!" One of the thugs cried out. "We-we iced the boss! Let's get outta here!"

They all stood there in shock for a few moments, before everyone turned and fled. The turtles fled back up through the skylight and disappeared, while the gangsters fled out the front door, straight into the arms of the police. All of the people who had been inside of the museum when the gangsters attacked were found safe and sound, and the Turtellini Emerald was found on the Don corpse. Irma and Donatello had managed to get in and erase all the surveillance footage, so the authorities weren't even aware the turtles had been there.

The four turtles made their way to a nearby manhole, jumping off the rooftop, and returning to the sewers.

"I can't believe it..." Donnie muttered in disbelief, shaking his head. "Those dudes killed their own boss... how could they do that?"

"It's not our fault, Mikey." Donatello reassured him. "They are the ones who chose to fire those guns at their boss, not us."

"You and Splinter were right, Raph. This attack was a total disaster." Leo sighed, looking over towards his hotheaded brother. "I should have listened to you."

"'Bout time you realized that, ya mook." Raph replied, motioning down the sewer tunnel. "Now come on, April and Irma are probably waiting for us back at the lair!"

...

"With Don Turtelli's untimely passing, the organization is pleased ta name you boss of the Empire city mob." Tony 'The Butcher' Vivaldi kissed Big Louie's signet ring. "I salute you, _Don_ Calabria."

"Tanks, Vivaldi, but I don't tink I'll be takin' the title of _don_." Louie struck a match, lighting up the stogie in his mouth. "Dat title is too small for how big I plan ta make dis mob, so's ya can just keep callin' me Big Louie."

"Whatever you say, boss." Vivaldi replied, lowering his head in respect again. "All hail Big Louie!"

After he and Vivaldi had finished speaking, 'the butcher' took his leave. After Big Louie was alone, a figure in bladed armor and metal mask emerged from the shadows.

"Hello, Big Louie." The masked figure greeted him, standing over the mobster. "I trust all went according to plan?"

"Everything went just as you planned, Master Shredder." Big Louie smiled. "I goaded Turtelli into attacking the toitles himself, and his own goons put him on ice!"

"And now we are in control of the Empire city mob, partner." The shredder replied, crossing his arms. "And do you have a location that fits my needs?"

"I have just the place fer yer new headquarters; The abandoned hall of science pavilion from the world's fair a few decades back." Big Louie handed him an old brochure. "It's still in good shape, and nobody ever goes there. It'll be a perfect place for y u to rebuild the foot clan."

"Excellent! I then leave the Empire city mob under your control... for now." Shredder walked over, and opened the widow. "I shall be in touch with you, when I have further use of your services."

"Wait, Shredder... there's just one more thing." A curious Big Louie asked. "Why don't we just ice them toitles, and get 'em outta da way? It'd be easy!"

"Because I want those turtles to suffer, painfully and slowly." The shredder replied coldly, vanishing out though the open window, as he leapt away from Big Louie's office. "I plan to kill them slowly, slowly savoring my revenge for as long as possible!"

As he departed, the air was filled by shredder's laughter... a sound the chilled Big Louie to the bone.


	3. Chapter 3

**Episode 3; Fury of the Foot Clan  
**

 _Empire City, one week after the mess with the mob;_

Every day, when lunchtime rolled around, there were many places to eat in Empire City. No matter your taste- Chinese, Thai, Mexican, or good old English fish n' chips- there were always a good selection of restaurants to satisfy your pallet. But if it was pizza you were craving a nice, fresh, juicy pizza, the absolute best choice was the four-star restaurant known as Vinnie's Pizzeria. With it's 1950's style dining room, a huge arcade, and fast delivery times, it drew customers from all over the five boroughs. Vinnie's was one of the finest eating establishments on the border between Chinatown and Little Italy, and a favorite stop for any customer looking for a 'nice slice'.

In the kitchen, chief Pietro Calzoni had just finished taking three hot pepperoni and cheese pizzas out of the oven, putting them in the stack with the stack with the other three pizzas he had already cooked up.

"There, she-a done." Pietro sighed, wiping some sweat from his brow. "Hey, Keno! I got another delivery for you! It's that Hamato Yoshi guy in Chinatown, two block away."

"You mean that guy where we deliver the pizzas through a sewer grate?" Keno Reyes, the teenage pizza delivery boy, asked. "Pietro, do you know who this Yoshi guys is? Or why Vinnie gives him six free pizzas every day?"

"Eh, thats-a something we've been debating about since long before you started ta work here." Pietro replied, stroking his goatee thoughtfully. "See, about twenty years ago, back when the boss was a pizza boy himself, he was delivering a-pizzas to Chinatown. On the way he got-a attacked by a mugger, an' a monk named Hamato Yoshi, he save him with his kung-fu." The chief continued boxing up the last of the pizzas. "About four years later, ol' Yoshi and Vinnie they make-a deal; Yoshi give him a bunch-a treasure from the temple he left- enough to pay the pizzeria's expenses for a decade, I heard- an' in return every night we-a leave six pizzas near that grate every day for de past sixteen years."

"Wow, no wonder Vinnie could afford to leave on that worldwide vacation years ago, and leave you in charge." The delivery guy shook his head. "But has anyone ever seen this Hamato Yoshi, or ever wonder why he orders so many pizzas?"

"No, it-a not our place to question it, but it-a your place to deliver de pizzas." Pietro pointed a finger towards the door. "Now get-a goin', I need you back here to make five more deliveries on de east side!"

Keno headed out the door, carrying the stack of six pies for his delivery. Having finally heard the story behind this mysterious customer and his pizzas, the sixteen-year-old delivery boy was a bit suspicious of this whole setup. Keno was the son of two immigrant parents from the Philippines, and had grown up right next to Chinatown, even studying the Philippine martial art _Yaw-yan_ from his father. He had never heard of a martial artist named Hamato Yoshi, and he was curious about the rumors surrounding this mysterious man. Setting the pizzas down next to the sewer grate, Keno snuck around the corner in the nearby alleyway, to watch and see who came for the pizza.

What actually opened the sewer grate, emerged from below, totally caught Keno by surprise. A large humanoid turtle, with an orange bandana, and big shell on his back, picked up the pizzas, and handed those pizzas to another turtle in the depths depths below. And Keno Reyes, the brave martial artists who lived on the tough streets of Empire city, did the most manly thing he could think of at the moment... and promptly fainted, passing out on the ground.

"Uhhhh, dude? You ok?" He thought he heard a voice say, as he slipped into unconsciousness. Aw, major bummer, man..."

...

In it's day, the Hall of Science building had been the crowning jewel of the Empire city world's fair more than 20 years ago, featuring state-of the-art exhibits, and magnificent displays and dioramas. But after the fair, the building had simply been locked up, and mostly just used for storage. Being farther away from the more populated areas of town, even looters and the hobos had never taken an interest in the structure. So when shredder and his two minions set foot in the place, it was the first time anyone had done so in nearly two decades.

"Gee boss, you sure this dump is gonna make a good hideout?" Bebop asked, as he and Rocksteady proceeded to move furniture and gear into the Hall of science's many rooms. "I mean, it don't look like anyone's been here for a really long time."

"It will suit our needs, you cretin. Don't you worry about that." Shredder replied, motioning for the two thugs to put down the last of the luggage. "Now hurry up, and help me get things set up in here."

Over the next several days, the masked villain and his two henchman managed to get living quarters, a training area and dojo, and an alchemy laboratory all set up for themselves. And after all that work was completed, shredder immediately set to work on the next phase of his plan.

"Gee boss, whatcha doin' now?" Rocksteady asked, as the shredder proceeded to mix two chemicals together.

"Why, getting ready to build our mighty army... which will include you two simpletons, as well." Shredder replied, pouring some green liquid from a glass jar, into a test tube. "This miraculous liquid Tatsu gave us with his dying breath, shall be the key to our ultimate victory over the turtles."

"Gee, boss... I didn't know you wuz good at science!" Bebop exclaimed, watching his employer work. "I just thought you wuz a kung-fu guy."

"All Taoist monks are expected to be proficient in alchemy." Shredder replied. "My father taught me some of the basics when I was young... as you shall soon see."

"But boss, I thought that alchemy stuff wuz about makin' metal into gold." Rocksteady added. "How did something like dat make the toitles?"

"That's just western alchemy, you imbecile. In China they also practiced internal alchemy , the ability to change a being on the inside." Shredder explained, putting the beaker filled with ooze down. "Fifteen hundred years ago, the great Taoist sage Chang Tao Ling created this mutagen; which he called the elixir of life. Discovering his creation was filled with power, Chang believed it would grant anyone who drank it immortality."

"Wow, dat's incredible!" Bebop replied. "So's why didn't he make everybody immort-er, immort-uh, make em' live forever?"

"Chang Tao Ling discovered they actually had the power to change a living creature's shape, had believed they were too dangerous to fall into the hands of the wicked. He then took the formula with him to his grave, and nobody has ever been able to replicate the formula since." Shredder replied. "After Chang's death, his followers came to be known as the Celestial masters. They hid the elixir of life away, splitting the mutagen into over a hundred containers hidden at Taoist monasteries all across China." Shredder crossed his arms. "The monks developed wudang Kung-fu to defend the monasteries, and kept the elixir safe for centuries."

"So how did da magic water end up here in America?" Rocksteady asked. "And how did it make the toitles?"

"Back during the last war, the Japanese destroyed all seven of the temples, and slaughtered nearly all of the monks." Shredder explains. "My father's sifu brought one of the canisters to America, and that's what mutated the turtles. A few years ago, my father went back to china, and searched the ruins of the other six temples. This container of mutagen was the only one he could find. Father believed the other containers have been scattered all over the world."

"Wow, dat's really interestin', boss." Bebop replied, even though neither he nor Rocksteady had really understood what Shredder had been telling them. "So what ya gonna do with that magic potion?"

"First, I'm going to use this 'magic potion', to actually create my new army." Pouring a few drops of the ooze onto the ground, the shredder used his wrist blades to cut his right arm, and let a few droplets trickle into the ooze. After he chanted a few words in mandarin, the mixed puddle of ooze and suddenly exploded into a burning green flame.

"Ahhh! Boss!" Rocksteady cried out, as he and Bebop comically hugged each other out of fear. "What's goin on!?"

From the center of the flames, a group of over fifty foot soldiers in full gear marched out of the burning ooze, as if appearing out of thin air. They appeared like normal people at first, but as Bebop and Rcoksteady stared at them, they saw these foot soldiers were dressed all in purple and black, had oddly shaped tall heads, and seemed all hunched over with gangly, awkward arms.

"Boss, what the heck is wrong with them?!" Bebop asked, noticing the foot soldiers weren't even breathing. "They look like they're robots, or sumpthin."

"In a sense, they are like robots. These foot soldiers are magical constructs, whom the turtles can easily destroy, but the will simply re-form back here, where the spell was first cast." Shredder slashed one of the foot soldiers, who vanished in a puff of smoke, then re-spawned from the dried puddle of ooze a few minutes later. "An inexhaustible source of foot soldiers, who will obey only me! Well, even if they are even lower in brain power than you two."

"That's great and all, boss, but what about us?" Rocksteady asked. "What's that gunk gonna do to Bebop an' me?"

"Why, I'm going to use it to give you two strength and power greater than the turtles possess." Shredder explained, pouring the last of the mutagen from the container into two shot glasses. "It should either turn both of you into your birth zodiac animal, or your animal spirit guide. It depends on what spiritual or philosophical tradition you follow, if any."

"Wait, boss, no!" Bebop protested. "We don't want to be animals!"

"Yeah, we's happy bein' normal!" Rocksteady agreed. "Well, as normal as we are, anyway."

"Oh, so you two are happy being total losers? You liked being kicked out of the dragons because they think you're both too stupid to tie your own shoes?" Shredder asked angrily. "You enjoy the fact neither of you can defend yourself from even amateur fighters, and I had to save both of you from the cops the first time we met." Shredder grabbed them both by the collars. "You both are so pathetic, the two of you were beat up an old old man with a cane when you tried to mug him. How do you think either one of you would fare against the turtles?"

The two punks looked at each other for a moment, and thought about how they had been pushed around their whole lives. They thought about how everyone, with the sole exception of the shredder, had treated them like trash just because they weren't as smart as everyone else. Now here was shredder, the one person on the planet who thought they had value as human beings, offering them a chance for true power, so they wouldn't be jokes anymore. And as they thought of all those mocking teachers in elementary school, tormenting bullies in high school, and cruel family members who disowned them, a burning hatred began to grow in their hearts.

Without another word, the two punks each grabbed one of the shot glasses filled with ooze, and both downed it in one gulp. It was only a few minutes before they both collapsed to the floor, screaming, as their bodies began to contort and change from the mutagen.

...

When Keno came to, he found himself lying on a couch, in the middle of some odd... living room... that appeared to be in the sewer?! As he sat up, the pizza delivery guy saw four of the mutant turtles -along with a giant, talking rat- sitting nearby. He could here they were arguing about _him_.

"Oh, great... Mikey led another one of those humans down here!" Raphael complained, glancing over at Keno. "I thought we were supposed to be keeping ourselves secret from the world. Y'know, so they don't lock us up in cages?!"

"Dude! I couldn't just leave him there lying in the street!" Mikey protested. "He's the dude who brings us our pizzas!"

"Eh, I don't know if it was such a good idea to bring him back here, Mikester." Donatello added in. "I mean, April and Irma are okay and all, but letting the pizza guy know!?"

"I don't believe this will be a problem, considering our deal with Vinnie over the free pizzas." Leonardo replied calmly, looking over to Splinter. "What do you say, master?"

"It is the will of the Tao that these people entered our lives. The Tao is all about change, and I embrace this change." Splinter replied simply. "All of the people in our lives have made a difference, and it is only natural that as we increase our activity on the surface, a few more humans will learn of our existence."

Excuse me, I'm right over here, ya know!" Keno grumbled, finally speaking up. "Who the heck are you guys? And why do you all look like giant, talking animals?"

Splinter soon recited the story of their past again, and the amazed Keno took it all in. Finally, a big grin spread across the pizza delivery guy's face.

"So, you guys are like... ninja turtles?" Keno asked excitedly. "That is so cool!"

"We are NOT ninjas! Why does everyone think we're ninjas?!" Leo protested angrily. "Ninjas aren't the only people who practice martial arts, you know!"

"Chill out man, I was just teasing ya!" Keno laughed. "And don't worry man, I'll always make sure you guys get some pizza, and maybe I can slip in some Chinese food from next door for the rat over there."

"That would be much appreciated." Splinter nodded. "With the turtles around, one can grow tired of Pizza."

"Hey, dude, you into comic books?" Mikey asked hopefully. "Cause' I totally love reading stuff like justice force!"

"Nahhh, I'm more into action movies." Keno responded. "Ya know, stuff like Rex-1, the awesome robot cop? Or Rondo, the big guy with guns and a red bandanna?"

"Aw yeah, now this kid's got taste!" Raph added, giving Keno a noogie. "I'm gonna like having this guy around here, we can watch horror movies together, like Creepy Eddie on Oak street!"

They all continued to talk, as Splinter clicked on the television to watch his evening soaps. But as soon as the set was on, it was a familiar reporter who appeared on the screen.

"This is April O' Neal, from channel six news, reporting you you live from the Empire City zoo." The redhead said into her microphone. "Several costumed martial artists, resembling members of the decimated foot clan, have taken control of the zoo interior. Although the attackers have chased most of the staff and zoo visitors away, zoo veterinarian Jane Goodfellow went missing about the time the attack started."

"Hey guys it looks like you better..." Keno looked, and noticed the four turtles weren't there. "Hey, where the heck did they go?"

"The turtles don't just wait around when there are people to be saved." Splinter mused. "Well, vanishing with a trace is about the only thing they do have in common with ninjas..."

...

"All right guys, let's get rollin'!" Donnie exclaimed, as they went running out of the lair. "And this time, we don't have to race across the rooftops."

The turtles followed Donnie down a long tunnel, until they arrived at a large garage area adjacent to the lair. The other three were surprised to see a 1960's Volkswagen van, with a green and yellow paint job. As Donnie opened the door, the four turtles piled inside.

"Whoa, Donnie, this is awesome!" Mikey exclaimed, looking over all the gadgets and controls. "This thing's gotta have everything!"

"So this is what you and Irma have been working on for the past week." Leo complimented him. "Well done, Donnie."

"Thanks, Leo. We really had a lot of fun working on it." Donatello explained. "This thing's got a huge stereo, air conditioning, a radar system, a C.B. radio, two machine guns that pop out of the roof, and a built-in Atari 2600 with 500 games and a T.V. set. I really couldn't have done with without Irma's help... or her dad's old van.

"So we finally got what every teen always wants; our first car." Raph chuckled. "Well, at least it doesn't have turtle designs painted on the sides, or doesn't have 'mutant turtles' written on it."

"All right, let's give this 'turtle van' a workout." Leo exclaimed. "Punch it, Donnie!"

Donnie turned the keys, and the van's engine roared to life. The vehicle took off down a long tunnel, coming out in the basement of an abandoned parking garage, and raced up onto the streets.

"You guys are lucky I've been practicing on that plug-in driving video game Irma gave me." Donatello boasted. "Or we'd be crashing into stuff left and right."

"Hey, Leo? Who do you think these bozos are?" Raph asked, as they raced through the streets. "I mean, we already took the foot clan down."

"I dunno, could be a bunch of copycats." Leo replied. "Or maybe a rival triad gang?"

"Well, whatever the case, we're gonna kick their tails in!" Raph replied. "...either that, or get our tails kicked in."

"Uhhh, dude? I totally don't think we have tails any more." Mikey chimed in. "We kinda lost em' when we mutated."

"SHUT UP, MIKEY!" The other three replied in unison, as the van sped on towards the Empire city zoo.

...

The scene at the zoo, was utter chaos.

Several foot soldiers were pulling the animals out of their cages and enclosures, tying the beasts up, and preparing them for their horrible fates. Big cats and primates, bears and wolves... nearly every kind of land animal had been dragged to the zoo's central courtyard, and huddled into a large circle together. A few of the foot were over in the corner, sharpening their blades, and preparing to use them on the poor creatures in a very grisly manner.

"Oh no, this is terrible!" A woman muttered, looking out from her hiding place. "They're going to slaughter all these poor creatures!"

Looking out of the closet she was concealing herself inside, Dr. Jane Goodfellow watched in horror as many of the animals she cared for were put in great danger. She knew who these monsters were; from their uniforms, they were obviously members of that horrible triad from Chinatown she had heard about on the news. And that being the case, it was obvious that they were here to butcher her poor animals to ground up their bones for herbal remedies to sell on the black market.

Looking out at the captured animals again, the African-American veterinarian thought of the poor tiger who's paw she had bandaged just three days ago, and the seal she had nursed back to health after he was rescued from an oil spill in the North Sea. Ever since she was a little girl, Dr. Goodfellow had enjoyed coming to the zoo with her mother, and spending time gazing upon the animals. When she was a teen, she had volunteered to help care for the wounded and sick ones, tenderly treating to their wounds. It broke her heart to see animals suffer, that's why she had gone to school to be a veterinarian. And now she was about to watch all of her precious charges die, at the hands of these barbarians. As one of the foot soldiers raised his jian, the frightened veterinarian could only look away...

"COWABUNGAAAAAAAAA!"

Hearing someone cry out with that old surfer's call, Dr. Goodfellow looked back in shock to see four... humanoid turtles jump at the foot soldiers, and begin to attack them . They were like a hurricane, raging over their masked foes like a force of nature. The one with the blue mask began slicing and chopping away at the foot soldiers, making them vanish in large puffs of smoke. The red masked turtle stabbed away at the goons again and again with his oddly-shaped daggers. the foot soldiers vanished one by one, leaving behind only smoke clouds.

"Hey, what gives?!" Mikey called out in exasperation, knocking two of them over with roundhouse kicks. "These guys just disappear when we hit em!"

"They must be some kind of golems!" Donnie yelled, pole vaulting himself at a whole group of the foot soldiers like a bunch of bowling pins. "This is so awesome! Our first encounter with the supernatural!"

"Real or not, don't let up!" Leo called out, chopping one foot soldier straight down the middle, making him fall in two halves. "We can't let them hurt these animals!"

"Works fine fer me!" Raph sneered, stabbing another foot soldier though the skull with his weapons, and ripping his head clean off. "I need something to take my frustration out on!"

The four turtles continued to fight the foot soldiers; punching, kicking, and headbutting their way to victory. Severed heads and broken limbs went flying in every direction, before all quickly disappearing in flashes of smoke. They were winning the fight against the foot soldiers, but it was obvious the battle was tiring them out. As Mikey destroyed the last of the foot soldiers, all four turtles stopped, bending over to catch their breath.

"Whoah, dudes!" Mikey gasped out. "That was, like, totally intense!"

"I'm just glad it's over." Donnie replied, still out of breath. "I don't think I could've taken much more!"

Smiling at her mysterious saviors' banter, she wondered if they were wearing costumes, or they were some kind of mutants. But before she could decide wither to come out from hiding or not, she saw two towering, animal-like shadows appear on the other side of the wall.

"Ohhh, lookie what we gots here, Roacksteady!" One of the shadowy forms exclaimed, as he towered over the exhausted heroes. "It's four tired-out shellbacks, ready fer crackin' open!"

"Ohhhh, goodie!" The other voice replied. "I was looking forward to some turtle soup!"

Barely staying on their feet, the four turtles readied themselves for round two.

"I-I don't believe it." Donnie gasped out in shock. "T-they're mutants, like us!"

"B-but how can that be?!" Leo asked in disbelief. "I-I thought the mutagen that transformed us was the only dosage!"

before the turtles stood a giant rhino-man, and an anthropomorphic warthog. Both were wearing street punk clothing, and the rhino wore an old army helmet with googles, while the warthog had a purple Mohawk with shades. The two seemed to look at the turtles with a petty contempt, that enraged the turtle with the red mask beyond words.

"I dunno who these wierdoes are," Raph growled. "But they're goin' down!"

Raphael lunged at the two giants, daggers blazing in anger, when Bebop caught him with a powerful kick. Then punched him into the ground, and began to stomp on his hard shell. Michelangelo jumped in jumped in to try and save his brother, but Bebop caught him by the throat with his free hand, and began to choke the party dude.

"MIKEY!" Leo and Donnie cried out, charging in to try and help their bothers. But Rocksteady double-clotheslined them to the ground, and picking the two up by their shells, slammed their heads together.

"AHHHHHH!"

"AIEEEEE!

UGHHHH!"

"ARAGGHHHH!"

"Those poor turtles!" Jane exclaimed in horror. "Those terrible monsters are beating them to death!"

Rocksteady tossed Leo aside like a rag doll, and to pound on Donatello, again and again the rhino drove his fist into the turtle's face like a steam hammer, sending teeth and blood flying everywhere. Looking up from his pounding under Rocksteady's foot, Raph screamed.

"Leave him alone, you damn- AHHHHH!"

"You've got your own problems ta worry about, shellhead!" Bebop snorted, steam coming of his snout. Raising his foot again, the pudgy pig brought hi weight down upon Raphael arms, breaking the bone, then brought his other foot down up his leg, shattering that bone, as well. Leaving the Broken Raph behind, he took the now limp Michelangelo he had been strangling, and began slamming him into a nearby wall, again and again. Poor Mikey screamed, as his blood was spattered all over the angry warthog.

Dropping the battered Donnie, Rocksteady lumbered over to the wobbly Leo, picking him up by the throat.

"We's could easily kill youse right now, but dat's not the way da boss wants it." The rhino growled, glaring at the bruised Leo. "De shredder wants youse and your brothers to suffer, for all da pain ya caused him."

"The... shredder?" Leonardo stuttered in disbelief, as he pulled himself back onto his unsturdy legs. "B-but that's not possible. Oroku Nagi is dead..."

"Da boss ain't Ororku Nagi, he's da shredder. He said who he was before youse all killed Nagi is dead... now, he is only da shredder." Bebop added, leaving the other three turtles behind, and coming over to stand beside Rocksteady. "And dis whole zoo heist was a trick to lure youse all out.. so's we could do... DIS!"

Rocksteady lowed his head, charging at Leonardo with his horn. He sent the turtle flying straight towards Bebop, who punched him into a nearby wall, leaving Leo a blood-soaked mess.

"Sees ya around, toitles!" Rocksteady called back, as he and Bebop walked away."Next time we's meet, youse four won't survive!"

Looking out from her hiding spot, Dr. Goodfellow saw the four turtles all lying on the ground, the area all around them coated in blood. After debating over what to do for a few minutes, the veterinarian rushed out to help them, and to save their lives if she could.

...

"Ohhhh... my aching head..."

The next day, the four turtles were laying on cots in their sewer lair, while Dr. Goodfellow checked their vital signs, and Splinter gave them tea. all four of the mutants were filled with pain killers, and each tried not to move, so as not to bring more pain onto themselves.

"I want to thank you for bringing my students back here, Dr. Goodfellow." Splinter said gratefully, bowing to the vet. "Without your aid, they would most certainly would've perished."

"It's no problem, Sifu Splinter. It was the least I could do, given how they saved my patients, the zoo animals." Dr. Goodfellow replied, checking the turtles vital signs. "And you can be sure to call on me, whenever these guys hurt themselves in battle. And don't worry, I'll be sure to keep all of you a secret, none of you deserved to be experimented upon by people who wouldn't understand you."

"Thank you so much, doc..." Donnie mumbled, barely able to lift his head. "So tell me... are we gonna live?"

"Well, you four look like you're all coming along okay, your mutations seem to have given you an insanely enhanced healing factor; even your teeth and damaged shells are healing up." Jane shook her head. "Then again, your mutations have changed you faaaar beyond anything I've ever seen before. making you more human-like. I do believe this is the first time I've ever seen warm-blooded turtles before, very fascinating."

"In any case, as soon as we heal up, the four of us need to hunt down this new shredder, and take down his foot clan, just like we did the previous one." Leo groaned, trying to sit up again. "We could be a danger to the whole city."

"If he and his two pet attack mutants don't take us down first." Raph groaned. "Who do you guys think this new shredder is, anyway?"

"Possibly one of Nagi's students, who is seeking his revenge for his sifu's death." Splinter suggested. "In any case, I am certain we have not heard the last of this shredder, or the foot clan."

"Well, right now I don't want to think about any shredders or evil mutants, dude." Mikey whined, rolling over on his cot. "Since we each can't go back and sleep in our own rooms right now, I just want to lay here, and dream about a nice, big pizza!"

"Forget about dreaming, Mikey!" Keno declared, walking in with three pizzas under each arm. "I heard about how you guys were feeling under the weather, so I decided to bring you six extra pizzas to cheer you up!"

In her long career as a veterinarian, Dr. Goodfellow had seen many wounded animals do many miraculous things. But Jane would never forget the day, that she saw four badly wounded turtles jump out of bed, and scramble for pizzas like a bunch of starved piranhas in a feeding frenzy.

"Hey man, that's my slice!"

"Watch out! I want the one with pineapple topping!"

"Watch it, ya mooks! I want a pie, too!"

"Cowabunga!"

"Well, it seems their recovery is going better than anticipated." Splinter chuckled. "It appears pizza is greater than any medicine we could produce."

And as the four brothers chowed down, their two human friends and rat sifu looked on with smiles on their faces.

-END-


	4. Chapter 4

**Episode 4; Hunters and Prey  
**

 _In old Louisiana, down in the bayou country, they tell a tale..._

 _Many years ago, after the great war, they're lived a young, hotheaded Cajun by the name of Jess Harley. This Harley, he was a bounty hunter, born and raised on the swamp, and taught shootin and knife fightin' by his ol' pappy, an' how ta make a mean gumbo from his momma._ _ _But ol' jess, his momma had given him a baby gator as a pet for his tenth birthday, and he named the gator Leatherhead. The gator grew up with his master, and Jess he treasure the gator like he his own offspring._ So this Jess, he needed money ta live when he got older, so he formed a posse of bounty hunters, and they were a-going all over the Bayou a-hunting criminals down. They had ol' Leatherhead as their mascot, and there was no better hunter group a hunters in the ol' swamp, you betcha.  
_

 _But one day, ol' Harley, he decide ta go after the most dangerous bounty in the whole bayou. Mary Bones, an old swamp witch with dwelled out in the wildest part of Cajun country, had been terrorizing the countryside. Old Mary had been striking whole villages with pestilence, causing their crops to wither, and the shrimp harvests the Cajun fishermen relied on to die. Many of the old rich French families claimed Mary had turned their sons and daughters into zombies, enslaving them against their wills. But the old swamp witch, she wasn't using no voodoo. In truth, Mary bones, she drew her power from the turnstone, a mysterious crystal ball filled with a green glowing ooze, some say she stole from some visiting Chinese monks she murdered. Ol' Mary channeled her black magic from the turnstone, and made the whole countryside fear her.  
_

 _So ol' Jess Harely, he take his posse, an' go a huntin down ol' Mary Bones, eager to collect the bounty the rich folks had put on her head. His crew of ten bounty hunters fought off her army of zombies with knives, shotguns, and fire. But by the time they wiped out all those undead, most of their mercenary crew had been killed; only Harley remained. The lone survivor went after Mary Bones, who tried to make a run for it. But ol' Leatherhead, he met her on the bridge leading away from her hut, and the ol' gator attacked the witch. Leatherhead, he bit Mary Bones in half, finally killing the old witch, and swallowed the Trunstone in one gulp. But even though Jess was able to return with Mary's severed head and collect the bounty, the Cajun hunter mourned the loss of his friends. Harley came to hate any kind of unnatural creature or power, and soon developed an unhealthy obsession with destroying them._

 _But then, something magical happened to ol' Leatherhead. The power of the turtstone he had eaten began to change him, and he started waking and talking upright like a human being. But Jess, instead of hating his beloved pet, saw a perfect opportunity. He took him to a secluded part of the bayou, and secretly raised him like a son, teaching him to speak, to hunt, and how to be a true Cajun and make gumbo. But he also instilled his hatred of anything unnatural in the world, and made Leatherhead swear he would hunt down and kill all the supernatural freaks of nature he found in the world. After old Harley finally died of old age, old Leatherhead mourned him for a time, and then ol' Leatherhead set out for the distant Empire City, following rumors of weird creatures having been seen there...  
_

 _..._

Raphael was having a really hard day.

Not that it wasn't always hard living in a sewer with four mutant brothers, but today he was feeling particularly rambunctious. He decided to practice with his twin set of tekpi, but where he went ion the lair, he caused trouble. A broken table, two smashed chairs, and even master Splinter's penjing tree he had carefully cultivated, all fell before Raphael's mighty set of weapons. After being chased out of nearly every room in their underground home, Raphael went to the last place he ever wanted to set foot...and still managed to cause destruction.

SMASH!

"Blast it, Raph! Why can't you watch what you're going?!" Donnie yelled angrily at his brother. "You're fighting practice is messing up my lab!"

The turtle in the red mask had rust knocked over a table with a bunson burners and chemical mixtures, whole practicing a move set. His tekpi had accidentally struck one of the table legs, making the table down, and bringing the whole chemistry set smashing top the floor.

"Oh, sorry about that, man. Leo and Mikey are busy sparring in the dojo, so I thought I'd try ta practice in here." Raph replied with a shrug. "Anyway, what was that stuff I knocked over? You trying to make an invisibility potion, or somethin'?"

"No, I was brewing a new recipe of pizza sauce, at Mikey's request. He actually wants to try and make his own pizzas." Donnie shook his head. "Look, Raphael... why don't you try your roughhousing out in the living room?"

"Nah, Master Splinter's meditating in there." Raphael replied. "I guess I'm gonna need ta get out of the lair, an' go try my workout somewhere else."

"Oh, right." Donnie rolled his eyes. "And where, exactly, is a six foot tall talking turtle going to practice martial arts, without being noticed?"

"Ehhhh, I guess I could try going to April's place." The hotheaded turtle mused. "She has an old junk shop under her apartment. I'm sure it'd be safe to practice fightin' there!"

"Yeah, except, ya know, all of the antiques." Donnie laughed. "Anyway, have a good time, Raph. Make sure you come back in one piece."

"Right, whatever!" Raphael rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm outta here! See ya later, bro!"

"Raph, wait!" Donnie called back, running up to him with a coat and hat. "Here, put these on. We're all wearing them now." Donnie told him, handing Raphael the clothes. "They won't disguise you much, but they'll obscure your form at night."

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me..." Raph groaned, as her put the trench coat and fedora on. "I look like one on those private eyes from the old detective movies."

Waiting until darkness fell, so the trenchcoat and fedora would prevent him standing out, Raphael headed topside. Making his way through the shadows, he stealthily slunk towards the apartment building April owned. Going up the fire escape ladder, he entered her apartment though the window... only to be promptly clocked on the head on the frying pan.

*BOOOONNNNNNG!*

*OUCH!*

"Okay, mister! I don't know what you thought you were gonna steal, but-" Seeing who the intruder was, April put the frying pan down. "Ohmygosh, Raph! Are you all right?"

"Oy, did anybody get the number of that Sherman tank that hit me?" Raph asked, wearily trying to pull himself back to his feet. "Hiya April, thought I'd drop in."

"It's know problem, just next time don't drop in on an Empire city girl in the middle of the night." April laughed. "So, what can I do for you?"

"Ugh, my brothers are being a serious pain in the shell. They won't let me work out in the lair." Raphael groaned. "I was hoping I could work out downstairs, maybe?"

"Wow, that would be great!" April replied, motioning for the turtle to follow her out into the hallway, and down the stairs. "Actually, I've cleaned out the basement in this place to try my own hands at some workouts and martial arts."

"Whoa, I didn't know you knew how to fight." Raph replied, as he followed April out of the apartment. "I mean, you didn't seem to be able do battle before."

"After I met you guys, I decided to try and learn how to defend myself." April explained. "So I converted the basement into a gym, and bought some self-teaching VHS tapes to learn some karate."

"Video tapes? Hah, I could teach you a lot more than those cheesy video trainers ever could." Raph chuckled. "C'mon, let go drown stairs, and I'll show you a few moves."

April and Raphael went down the stairs, and entered her father's old antique store. Looking around at all the old furniture and dusty paintings, Raphael thought he had never seen so much old junk in one place before.

"Wow, nice place you got here." Raph chuckled. "So, you're old man was in the antique business, right?"

"Yep, the antique shop's called 'the 2nd time around', and it was pop's pride and joy." April looked at the ground as they walked past all of the old, dusty treasures. "I wish I would've gotten the chance to know him and mom better."

Finally getting to the basement, Raph found a gym mat, along with a lot of workout equipment. April excused herself for a moment, and returned in a yellow workout outfit with a headband and legwarmers.

"Wow, look at you... the hottest workout chick of 1984." Raph joked. "Say, what's with you and all your clothes being yellow bodysuits?"

"Hey, if something works for you, ya stick with it!" She smiled, taking a fighting stance. "So, think you can teach me some kung fu, Raph?"

"Sure, but I warn you..." Raph smirked. "...I ain't going easy on ya!"

"Try me, turtle boy. My dad was Irish, and my mother was pure Hispanic." April warned, as the two fighters circled each other. "I might turn out to be tougher than I look. And besides, you and your brothers are still recovering from you beating by those rhino and warthog monsters who tore you up a month ago. So I should really go easy on YOU. "

The two opponents began to spar, and Raphael was finally able to work out his frustration though combat practice.

...

Empire city metropark... one of the most peaceful and tranquil places in the entire city, it was one large forest of green, surrounded on all sides by a dull, grey, and drab cityscape. Families would come here on weekends for picnics, and joggers came though on a daily basis for exercise. Listening to their Walkmans through stereo headphones, entirely oblivious to the world around them. it was a tranquil island of calm, amidst the sea of chaos that was Empire city.

Unbeknownst to all of the people enjoying the park, there was a new creature swimming in the park's lake. He watched the humans come and go, his head barely sticking out of the water so he was hardly noticeable. After the sun set and post of the visitors left, he finally emerged from the waters, coming onto the shore to dry off. And the mutant monster who sat there, was a truly terrifying sight.

"Well, looks like them humans are gone." The beast growled, as he retrieved his bag of belongings from the place he had hidden them in the bushes. "That's for the best. They woulda been plenty scared if they had seen ol' Leatherhead, you betcha."

Most people had heard of alligators in the sewers, but nobody would have suspected a humanoid alligator had temporarily moved into the park's lake. Leatherhead certainly looked strange; wearing a pair of raggedy blue jeans, wading boots, a red fedora, and a yellow sleeveless jean vest. Opening his bag and gathering a stack of firewood, and Leatherhead started a campfire. Pulling out a pair of crayfish he had caught in the lake, the gator-man tossed them into a metal pot along with some rice, sauce and vegetables.

"Ahhh, good ol' crayfish gumbo, one o' my favorite dishes." Leatherhead grinned, taking a sip of his soup with a ladle. "Perfect dish ta enjoy, before I go a-mutant hunting."

Having originally come up from Louisiana, the Cajun gator had quietly hopped a train north, then swam his way through the rivers towards Empire city. Carrying his personal belongings and weapons in a waterproof sack, Leatherhead was following the rumors of monsters that had appeared in Empire City. The gumbo-eating gator was seeking to destroy the freaks who rumors and urban legends had told him were here. And being the hunter he was, Leather WOULD find them; that, he guaranteed.

As the gator-man ate, a pair of rabbits came hopping out of the bush. Upon seeing Leatherhead, the two hares tried to jump away. But the gator man's tail whipped out like a serpent, wrapping around the first rabbit's neck, and instantly snapping it. The second hare managed to get out of the gator man's reach, but Leatherhead chucked his Bowie knife, impaling the hare with the blade.

"Hm, looks like I caught my lunch for tomorrow, by gumbo." The Cajun gator chuckled, talking aloud to himself as he always did. "But there was no thrill in that hunt, I need to find a bigger challenge, tout suite."

The gator sniffed at the air, and picked up a very odd scent. Slithering over to a nearby bush, Leatherhead looked out to spy a human working in the park, planting shrubs and flowers. The human was signing to himself, as he go his equipment out of his truck.

"Hmmm, that human, he do look mighty tasty." Leatherhead whispered to himself. "I could use some extra meat to go with my two rabbits, I guarantee."

Picking up his knife and shotgun, the Cajun gator moved in for the kill.

...

A short time later, Raph and April had left the antique store, and had decided to go to the park to take a break. Even though it was dangerous there after dark, April really wasn't worried with a giant kung-fu turtle with a bad attitude traveling with her.

"Boy, this was a really awesome idea, April. Comin' to the park after our sparring match." Raphael told her, as the two walked along. "I needed some fresh night air, livin' in a sewer and all."

"Is it really that bad, living down there with the other three turtles?" April asked, putting a hand on his shell. "I mean, they are your brothers, and all."

"Oh, don't get me wrong, my bros and sifu Splinter are totally family. But... they don't really get me, ya know?" Raph explained, shaking his head. "They're all so different than me, and I'm so, so... angry, so sarcastic. And I just don't know why."

"Maybe it's because you see all the things wrong in the world, and you are the only one of your brothers who can see it." April suggested."Maybe you're the only one who is so passionate about solving the world's problems, that you bear the weight of the whole world on your shoulders."

"Yeah, maybe your right. Maybe I do take too many of the world's problems onto myself." The turtle smiled. "Thanks a ton, April, that makes me feel a whole lot better."

As they walked along, Raphael pulled out a small dagger with a metal loop on the end, and began casually spinning it on the end of one of his three fingers.

"Hey, what's that funny little knife you've got there?" April asked curiously. "It looks too small to use as a regular weapon."

"Oh, this?" Raph just shrugged. "It's called a kunai, a martial arts throwing knife. Keno gave us about 50 old ones his dad had, and he's training us how to throw them. Master Splinter says they are not kung-fu weapons, but they could be useful in combat."

The two continued to walk along and talk, until they came upon a strange sight. A truck, parked right in the middle of the metropark, was sitting over by the rose bushes. The truck's door was hanging open, and nobody appeared to be around, anywhere.

"Wow, looks like this truck's been abandoned." Raphael commented. "Who do ya think left it here?"

"It appears to belong to the park's groundskeeper. Look at all the plants and tools in the back." April replied, looking around at the truck curiously. "But what do you think happened to the gardener?"

"I happened to the groundskeeper, mademoiselle." A large, grinning crocodile announced, stepping out from behind the shrubbery. "He took a one look at me, and then he started to scream like a little child. I had to use my jaws, and cut him in half at quiet him down a bit. Made a very tasty dessert, by Gumbo!"

"Oh my word, it's a talking alligator!" April cried out in horror. "It-it must be another mutant, like you!"

"Did I hear you say you KILLED that groundskeeper?!" Raph snarled, pulling out his tekpi. "You actually Ohhh, you're gonna pay for that!"

"You think you gonna tech ol' Leatherhead a lesson?! Boy, I'll tan your turtle hide, by gumbo!" Leatherhead held up his shotgun. "You're just the kind 'o freakish scum ol' Leatherhead came here to hunt!"

"Raphael, wait!" April cautioned. "He looks really dangerous, and you're still recovering from your last battle!"

"Sorry, April! I can't let this creep turn anybody else into an appetizer!" He motioned for her to run. "You get yerself outta here, before Leatherhead here decides to have a reporter as a second dessert!"

The two opponents lunged at each other, grappling for several minutes before the gator man forced the turtle back. Raph stabbed twice with his twin tekpi, but Leatherhead drew his Bowie knife and blocked both strikes with his blade.

"Hah! You gonna attack my with those gardening tools, boy?" Leatherhead mocked him, twirling his knife in his claw. "It's gonna take more than that ta beat me, by Gumbo!"

Leatherhead swung the knife, and Raph dodged by leaping backwards. The gator man swung a second time, and the turtle caught it with his tekpi, tossing the knife aside.

"Not bad for a gardening tool, eh?" Raph smirked, as he headbutted Leatherhead, knocking him backward. "Got any better weapons than that toothpick, Wally Gator?"

Leatherhead growled, swinging his tail, and knocking the turtle back to the ground. Kicking his blade up off the ground with his boot, he caught the Bowie knife with his tail, and threw it straight at the turtle. Raph tried to dodge, but the knife speared him, right in the back of his shell.

"Arragh!" The turtle cried, pulling himself back to his feet. "How... how the hell do you move that fast?" Raphael asked, pulling the blade out of his shell. "You aren't a martial artist!"

"No boy, I ain't no Kung-fu fighter." Leatherhead explained, cracking his neck. "My mentor was a bounty hunter, he taught me knife and tomahawk fighting, how ta shoot, and _savate_ kickboxing." He reached to his belt. "You ain't gonna have an easy time with me, kung-fu boy. I guarantee."

Running across the courtyard, Raph tossed several kunai at the gator man. Leatherhead deflected each throwing star with a tomahawk, then threw the Apache weapon at Raph, The turtle ducked his head into his shell to avoid the deadly axe, which almost took his noggin clean off.

"Okay, that does it!" Raphael declared in anger, pulling out both of his tekpi. "No more mister nice turtle!"

"Boy, I'm gonna tear your shell open, and have your gizzard for breakfast!" Leatherhead took another tomahawk from his belt in his left hand, and took his Bowie knife in his right. "Let's do this thing, _tout suite_!"

The two opponents smashed into each other, tekpi colliding with tomahawk and knife again and again. Sometimes Leatherhead would try a tail swipe, or a bite with his powerful jaws, but the turtle would always manage to stay just out of the gator man's reach. Likewise, the Cajun always managed to bat away the the turtle'S thrown kunai.

"This isn't getting us anywhere!" Raph told the gator man. "We're too evenly matched!"

"That be true, by gumbo." Leatherhead agreed. "At least until _moi_ gets the higher ground!"

The Cajun ran up the hill in the park, then jumped down, slashing both of his weapons simultaneously. The turtle managed to catch the blows with his two tekpi, and the two pushed up against each other in a test of power.

"It no use, _tortue_!" Leatherhead growled. "I be stronger than you!"

"Yeah, maybe so." Raphael replied. "But my weapons are stronger than yours!"

Raph pushed up against the gator's knife and tomahawk hard, breaking both of them off at the handle. But before he could strike the finishing blow, Leatherhead had jumped out from underneath him.

"Why, you no good pile of _putain_! Those were family heirlooms!" The gator man was so angry, he snorted steam from his nose. "I'm gonna beat you like a drum, boy!"

Leatherhead roared, jumping feet first at the turtle, and hitting Raph with several strong _savate_ kicks. He pummeled the turtle with several blows, knocking the tekpis from his hands, before lunging at Raphael with his powerful jaws wide open.

"Oh no, you're not taking a bite out of me!" The mutant yelled, struggling to hold the upper and lower halves of his jaw open. Raphael barely managed to jump out of the way, as the mutant gator's powerful jaws snapped shut.

"Well, if I can't be you in a fair fight, I just have to blow your head off!" Leatherhead pulled his shotgun off of his back, and proceeded to open fire on the turtle.

click-click, BANG! click-click, BANG! click-click, BANG!

The Cajun fired again and again, stopping only to reload, as Raph ducked behind some playground equipment to avoid the shots. Leatherhead unleashed a spray of bullets on the entire surrounding area, not leaving any spot for a turtle to hide.

"Come out out, you shelled freak!" The gator man growled, reloading his weapon. "There be no escaping ol' Leatherhead, you betcha!"

April, who had been watching the two fight, desperately looked for a way to help her mutant turtle friend. Seeing the abandoned maintenance truck from earlier, April climbed in, and turned the key.

VROOM!

Suddenly, the parked maintenance truck behind him roared to life, and it raced forward towards the gator man. Leatherhead opened fire on the speeding vehicle... just as it plowed into him, then smashed into a nearby temple wall.

KABOOM!

What happened next, Raph really couldn't tell; wither Leatherhead's bullets had hit the gas tank and made it explode, or wither the shells in the gator man's shotgun had exploded upon impact with the vehicle. April had leapt out of the driver's seat as soon as the truck hit Leatherhead, and the reporter hit the dirt and rolled as the whole thing exploded. When he looked out from where he was hiding, all Raph saw was the flaming wreckage of the vehicle, with Leatherhead's scorched legs and tail sticking out from beneath the wreckage.

"Raph, are you okay?!" April called out, picking herself up off the ground, and running over to the exhausted turtle. "Speak to me!"

"Naw, I'm okay, April." Raphael said, before turning to the defeated Leatherhead. "Now who's a pile of gumbo, ya Cajun handbag?" Raph asked, before passing out on the ground, unconscious, from total exhaustion.

...

It was several hours later, when the hotheaded turtle woke up on April's couch. His eyes flickered open, and Raph wondered where he was... until it all came back in a rush.

"Wait, where am I?!" He called out, sitting up quick. "What's going on? Leatherhead... the fight...!"

Whoa, , whoa there! Calm down, Raph!" April replied, rushing out of the kitchen, and kneeling by where he had been sleeping. "You won that fight, it's all over."

"Yeah, I won it, all right... thanks to your help." Raph stood up, still feeling a little groggy. "I can't believe how badly that gator kicked my butt, I must really suck at Kung-fu."

"Hey, you and your brother have only just been in your first few fights, of course your going to get knocked around by bigger and stronger mutants." April helped him to his feet. "Bedsides, you did pretty well against that Leatherhead. You probably even would've won if he hadn't pulled out that stupid shotgun."

"Still, I shoulda been able to take him, even without my brothers." Raphael sighed. "And I get this strange feeling, that we haven't seen the last of that gator man."

"There you go, taking the weight of the world on your shoulders again." April chastised him, as she helped him over to the window, so he could make his way home. "I wouldn't worry about it; I don't think even a mutant gator could survive getting run over by an exploding truck."

"Yeah, I guess you're right... I just wish there had been some kind of evidence proving Leatherhead got blown up, like when the cops found pieces of Oroku Nagi's body in the foot dojo ruins; that at least told told us that battle was finished." Raph sighed, heading out the window. But as the turtle rooftop ran his way home, Raphael had a strange feeling that this whole thing was far from over...

...

That blasted human, she had ruined everything!

As the police sifted through the wreckage of the truck, the wounded Leatherhead watched them from the shadows. He had been doing just fine against that turtle, until the human woman got in the way! Still, he knew the turtle was still out there, and there were probably more mutant freaks like him. All Leatherhead had to do was bide his time, and the hunt would be on again. Some kind of sixth sense had told him he'd find the turtle in that park; a mutation enhancement of his natural hunting instincts, no doubt. And he could use those abilities to hunt the turtle down, along with whatever other unnatural monsters were out there.

"Mmmm this gonna be a very good huntin' ground." The Cajun gator mused. "Don't worry, Jess Harley, ol' Leatherhead will kill all of the evil, unnatural creatures. This, I guarantee..."


	5. Chapter 5

Episode 5; One night at Willy Wombat's

"Cowabunga, dude!" Mikey exclaimed, slamming the button on his Atari controller. "This is sooo awesome! I just can't believe I'm getting such a mega-high score!"

The mutant turtle was playing on his Atari 2600 with Keno, and racking up a high score on the video game combat. As Mikey blew away Keno's tank for the 100th time, the pizza delivery guy threw his controller at the screen in frustration.

"Awww man, this totally stinks!" Keno groaned. "You totally dominated this one, Michelangelo. I'm no good at Atari combat on the tank mode."

"Oh come on, dude! It's not that bad!" Mikey protested. "You totally dominated when we played fighter jet mode, no way I can keep up with you in the skies, man."

"Yeahhhh, but the games we're playing are super lame." Keno groaned. "I wish we could go and play some arcade games, that's where it's at!"

"Oh, come on, dude!" Michelangelo laughed. "There aren't any arcades left in this neighborhood, they all closed during the arcade crash last year!"

Keno though for a moment, then a slow smile began to creep across his face.

"Hmmmm, Mikey... I think I know where we can go and play some arcade games." The pizza guy stood up, motioning for the confused turtle to follow him. "It might be a little creepy, but it should be a whole lot of fun!"

"I dunno, man. I'm not supposed to be seen by people in public, and all." Mikey replied in a worried tone. "How can I go into an arcade, without being seen?"

"Don't worry about it, my man." Keno reassured him. "There's nobody to see you, in the totally awesome place where we're going!"

As the two party dudes made their way towards the surface, the turtle began to get curious about their destination.

"Say, Keno?" He asked. "So, like, where is this totally cool place you know of, where we're going?"

"Well, it's a well known legend among us pizza delivery guys." Keno explained. "Have you ever heard of the legend of Pizzaface?"

"No, but it sounds kinda weird, man." Mikey shivered. "What's the story?"

"Well, way back in 1979, two guys named Rufus Higbee and Bogart Flywheel created a restaurant called Willy Wombat's pizzeria. It was a restaurant where people could go to eat pizza, watch stage shows, and play video games with their families."

"Ohhh, ohhh! I know about that place!" Mikey exclaimed. "That where they had all of those mechanical funny animals characters who sing and dance on stage! I grew up on those commercials, man!"

"Yep, I had a birthday party there one year, myself." Keno laughed. "Anyway, the first one opened here in Empire City, and soon it was so successful, Willy Wombat's pizzerias opened all over the country. This place was huge for many years; Higbee handled the business end of things, while Flywheel handled the animatronics and video games. Also, the two had hired a gourmet pizza chef named Antonio to handle the Empire City store, and he was very passionate about his work. Antonio loved serving pizza to the customers, and how happy they were to eat his food, and play the video games, and watch the mechanical shows."

"So Antonio and Flywheel were the passion behind Willy Wombat's, while Higbee was the greedy money jerk." Mikey rolled his eyes. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Anyway, everything was going great... until the 1983 video game crash last year. After nearly three years of success, Willy Wombat's pizzeria started to under. Bogart Flywheel tried to keep the company afloat, but Higbee stabbed him in the back, taking off with all of the money. Flywheel was forced to sell the chain off, and the empire city store was closed. Antonio, who felt the restaurant was his life, gave into despair and... well, according to rumor, he turned the restaurant's big oven on, shoved in a pizza, then climbed into the oven himself, and was roasted with one of his beloved pizzas."

"Ewww, dude!" Mikey replied, sticking his tongue out. "That is so totally gross!"

"Well, it is just a rumor." Keno shrugged. "Anyway, for the past year, strange noises have been coming out of the restaurant... lights have been seen through the windows, and a hunched over form in a chef's hat has been seen stomping around inside. Some say it's the ghost of ol' Pizzaface- a nickname the kids gave Antonio- still tromping around with the aminatronic characters, looking for unsuspecting visitors to shove into his oven, and make into ingredients."

"So, like, we're going to a haunted pizzeria? That is so cool!" Michelangelo replied, getting excited at the prospect. "Why didn't you say so in the first place? Let's go!"

The two came up topside near the abandoned restaurant, and Mikey was spooked by what he saw; An empty building, with faded colors and tall weeds growing in the parking lot. A torn 'for sale' sign stood out front, and the darkened windows were the most uninviting thing the turtle could possibly imagine.

"Wow, it looks like nobody's been inside in a really long time." Keno commented, as the approached the entrance. "C'mon, help me get this door open!"

The two forced the door open, and they found their way into the restaurant. The whole place was dark, and they could see the outlines of several tables and arcade machines. Keno turned on the flashlight he was carrying, and headed back into the kitchen, and started fiddling around with the fuse box. Mikey waited out in the darkness for several minutes, before Keno finally managed to get the power on again.

"There we go!" Keno exclaimed. "I got the electricity up and running!"

Within seconds, the entire restaurant lit up, and the arcade machines roared to life. Buzzers, bells, and beeps of various machines filled the air, as if the pizza parlor had been a slumbering creature, that had come back to life. As Mikey looked around, it was like a gigantic play land had opened up all around him.

"Whoa, this is so awesome!" Michelangelo exclaimed. "I can't believe I'm actually in the Willy Wombat's pizzeria!"

He ran around from game to game, geeking out over every little amazing thing he saw. But the moment his eyes set upon the stage, and the animatronic characters that sat up there.

"Ow, wow... I don't believe it!" The excited turtle sputtered out. "It's Willy Wombat's magic make-believe band! I've seen these guys on TV!"

Michelangelo ran from character to character, explaining every anthropomorphic character's personality and character in great detail.

"This lion in royal getup is King Lionheart, he's the royal ruler of Willy's Wombat's Pizza Pan theater!" The turtle explained, as he pointed at a lion in blue medieval armor and a crown. "And this guy over here is Hot Spot, a dalmatian fire fighter. Isn't his firefighting helmet awesome? The girl beside him is Halfcourt, and she's a giraffe who loves to play basketball, and other spots." He quickly ran away from the giraffe in the basketball outfit, and dashed over to a moose in a Canadian Mountie's outfit. "And this is Monty Moose, hero of the Yukon and the Klondike! Ohhh, man, all of these guys are legends!"

"Mikey, chill out! They're just a bunch of mechanical characters, not real celebrities. There's no reason to get all excited about them." keno laughed. "Now come on, let's go and try out some of the games."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Mikey sighed, following Keno towards the game room. "Boy, I'm getting hungry, I really wish the kitchen still had ingredients to make us a pizza..."

But as the two intruders left the kitchen, a large shadow fell across the opposite wall. The Shadow resembled a short, squat man in a chef's hat. And as the shadow moved across the wall, anyone present would have heard the sound of a single footstep, accompanied by the clinking of a pizza cutter peg-leg...

...

"Whoa, this is sooo awesome!" Michelangelo exclaimed, playing away on one of the arcade games. "I love these new arcade games!"

Keno and the turtle had a field day in the arcade room; sometimes taking turns on machines, sometimes playing co-op. They enjoyed Kung-fu master, Tower of Duraga, Pac-land, and marble madness. Mikey got to experience the new arcade games of the year, all without spending a quarter.

"This is great, man! I never would've gotten to play these games on my home system!" Michelangelo exclaimed. "Thank you so much for bringing me here!"

"What, you don't get the chance to do stuff like this that often?" A puzzled Keno asked. "I mean, I know you can't get out of the sewer, and go play video games at an arcade, but can't you do stuff like this with your brothers at home?"

"Nahh, not really. I mean, don't get me wrong, they do love video games. But Leo always like to play the martial arts beat em' ups, and the medieval fantasy stuff, Raph loves his action shooters, racing games, and military games, and Donnie likes video chess and strategy-based stuff. I'm the only ones who likes em' all, and wants to play a little of everything." Mikey sighed. "It kinda sucks, man. The others guys have never wanted to do anything I like ta do; listen ta music, break dancing, and just having a good time, man! Raph's always so angry, Leo's always so serious, and Donnie likes bein' alone in his lab. It's like I can't connect with them, are vibes are so totally different, y'know man?"

"I get it, they're a bit too serious for you." Keno replied, as he opened up one of the machines, and hit the free play switch for them. "But you can't just be a party animal, Mikey. You gotta have serious side,too. I mean, isn't there anything you've wanted to do, besides party and eat pizza?"

"Wellll... I kinda sorta did want to explore my creative side; maybe take up painting, or writing a novel." Mikey mused to himself. "Fighting and saving the city from bad guys is okay and all... but it doesn't give you much opportunity to express yourself, ya know man?"

"Tell me about it. Delivering pizzas all over Chinatown doesn't leave me much time to practice may martial arts; and I want to pen my own martial arts schools someday, maker people more aware of the Philippine fighting styles." Keno thought for a moment. "But I seem to recall Master Splinter telling me of another one of your hobbies, don't you also love to cook?"

"Yeah, it's true; I love making pizzas for me and my 's the one thing we can all enjoy together." Mikey sighed. "One day, I'd love to make the perfect pie, with the right toppings we all can enjoy! But that seems pretty hard, dude; Leo's a meat lovers guy who hates veggies. Donnie loves veggies and isn't too fond of meat, and Raph loves both veggies and meat. So as you can see, it's not an easy task, trying to make everyone happy, dude."

"Wow, I never realized you were such a complex turtle, Michelangelo." Keno admitted. "Still, I wouldn't worry. Your three brothers seen to care about you a lot; I'm sure if you explain your feelings to them, they'll understand."

"Thanks man, I really appreciate it." Mikey smiled, giving keno a high five. "If only my bros listened to me, as well as you do."

The two continued to play video games for awhile, before the both started to get hungry. As Mikey stomach started to growl, he began to think about a nice, juicy pizza.

"Hey, man. I'm starting to get, like really hungry." The party dude told the pizza delivery guy. "Why don't' we head back to Vinnie's, and pick ourselves up a nice, hot pie."

"Yeah, you're right." Keno sighed, as he finished playing at one of the machines. "We'd better head back, there no way we're eating a pizza here."

"You.. no want-a the pizza here?" A gravely, half-dead voice called out. "But I bake-a da nice pizza just a for you. Why you no stay anna enjoy my nice-a pizza pie?"

The two gamers felt their blood blood run cold, and with a shiver running down their spines, they turned around to face the source of the voice. To their horror, they saw a a foul disgusting creature emerge from the kitchen. It was an undead pizza chef, covered in a mix of blood, pizza sauce, and green ooze. He was wearing a raggedy chef's had, stained and greasy apron, and a pair of blue torn work overalls, and a white tank top. Cockroaches and various other insects were crawling all over his body, and his leg had been replaced by a large pizza cutter, stuck in an old willy wombat's pizza box. The undead pizza chef was carrying a big meat cleaver covered in blood, and green ooze and various other disgusting liquids were leaking from his mouth.

"Ohhh, duuuuude..." Mikey's eyes went wide. "IT'S PIZZAFACE!"

"We no want you to go and get pizza somewhere else!" Pizzaface declared. "We want you-a to stay here with us... forever!"

"Who... who else is he taking about?" Keno asked nervously, already shaking in his boots. "Please tell me nobody else is here..."

"I say, you knaves are not leaving my pizza kingdom!" A voice called out from behind them. "We do not give you permission to depart!"

Now even more scared, the two intruders to the pizzeria turned around... only to find King Lionheart, Hot Spot, Halfcourt, and Monty Moose stood there, free from their mechanical stage, and slowly walking towards the turtle and pizza guy.

"DUDE, WE ARE SO GONNA DIE!" Mikey cried out, as creepy pizza characters and chef closed in from all sides...

...

The four furry critters and Pizzaface closed in on Mikey and keno, who both took a fighting stance.

"Dude, they got us surrounded!" The mutant turtle exclaimed. "We gotta fight these freaks!"

"Stay back, my loyal subjects!" King Leonheart declared, pulling out his scepter. "I shall tech this knave a lesson!"

The lion swung his scepter at Mikey, who pulled out his tabaks. Swinging the tabak-toyok, the turtle wrapped them around the king's scepter, and pulled the rod away from the angry lion. Lionheart then pulled out his sword, and swung it at Michelangelo, who blocked with the scepter he had taken from the king.

"Hah, you fight well, turtle! A worthy opponent!" Lionheart declared, as the two traded blows between scepter and sword. "Verily, turtles do fight with honor!"

"Thanks dude, you're a pretty good fighter yourself." Mikey returned the compliment, blocking the blows from Lionhearts's blade, Excalibur. "Just wish I didn't have ta kick yer butt!"

While Lionheart was dealing with Mikey, Monty Moose was attacking the surprised Keno iwth his Mountie's saber.

"Hey, you don't think you're gettin' away, eh?" The moose in the Mountie's outfit swung his weapon at the pizza delivery guy. "A Mountie always gets his man, don't ya know?"

"Well you're not gonna get me, Bullwinkle!" Keno dodged the saber, then kicked it out of his hand. "Why don't you go back to Klondike, eh?"

"Oh, you'll pay for that, kid!" Monty Moose growled. Lowering his head,the moose charged at the surprised Keno. Monty's antler's sent the pizza guy flying, knocking him back into the wall. "Not bad for a moose, eh?"

"Time to grab the moose by the antlers!" Keno declared, grabbing Monty's antlers, and throwing the Mountie over his head. "Mikey, be careful! These guys aren't aminatronics, they're flesh and blood!"

"What, they're real!?" Mikey replied in horror, as he struggled with the lion. "But I thought they were robots!"

"Halfcourt, your king requires your aid!" Lionheart commanded, as he and Mikey traded blows. "Teach this ridiculous reptile a lesson.

"On it, yer kingliness!" The basketball-playing giraffe declared, dribbling her basketball across the kitchen. "Ha, this is gonna be a slam dunk!"

The female mutant threw her basketball at the back of Mikey's head, knocking him off his feet, and causing the turtle to stumble backwards. The giraffe then extended her neck to headbutt Mikey into the wall.

"Face it turtle, you're out of the game!" The giraffe exclaimed, as Mikey fell unconscious. "Half court; one, kung-fu turtle, zero!"

"Looks like I'm gonna have to put this fire out!" Hot Spot exclaimed. Going over and unraveling the emergency fire hose in the kitchen, the dalmatian firefighter aimed it at Keno. "Sorry kid, you're about to become a washout!"

A steam of water shot out of the hose, sending Keno flying back against the kitchen sink. Throwing his fire axe at the wall above where Keno fell, Hot Spot cut a row of pans loose, causing all of the pots and pans to bury Keno.

"Huh, looks like I wasn't man's best friend, after all." Hot Spot quipped, sticking a bone in his mouth like a cigar. "Hope that water helped him to cool off."

"Good job, you guys. Now get em'-a good an' tied up!" Pizzaface exclaimed, pulling his ingredients out of the cupboard. "Now, we a gonna make-a de greatest pizza ever! Magnifico!"

The deranged pizza maker turned on his oven, and began to prepare his ingredients. Both Michelangelo and Keno sat unconscious nearby, blissfully unaware of the horrifying fate the sinister chef had in store for the unsuspecting man and mutant...

...

It was almost an hour later, when Michelangelo finally started to come to. he did not know where he was at first, until he heard

"Oh boy, I'm-a gonna cook up a spicy pizza!" Pizzaface laughed, as a cockroach crawled out of his mouth. "And I never had turtle as an ingredient before! This is gonna be yummy!"

"Oh, maaaan! This can't be happening!" The frightened turtle declared. "I don't wanna end up as a pizza topping!"

"Ohhhh, Mikey... where are we, what's happening?" Keno asked, as he started coming to. "...I had this crazy dream, where we were attacked by a bunch of Willy Wombat characters..."

"Sorry dude, but you weren't dreaming." Mikey replied with a sigh. "We really are about to be turned into mulched mozzarella and sausage."

"Awww, man!" Keno grumbled, noticing the crazy pizza chef. "First I don't get any tips on my deliveries, then I'm about to be turned into sliced pepperoni! This has just not been my week!"

Ohhh, I know what I'm-a gonna do!" Pizzaface gloated, picking up a rat that had been scurrying across the table, chopping it into pieces with his meat cleaver, and sprinkling it on the pizza dough he was about to put in the oven. "I'm-a gonna cook up the turtle, then I'm-a gonna serve him to the boy. Ohhh, this gonna be a tasty treat!"

"Ewww, Gross! I don't want to eat my buddy, Mikey!" Keno stuck his tongue out. "Besides he lives in a sewer! He probably tastes terrible!"

"Thanks man... I think." Mikey replied uncertainly. "But we can't let things end this way! I wanna continue to eat pizzas, I don't wanna end up as one!"

Mikey continued to think, looking all around the room, there just had to be a way out of this! But it was when he laid eyes on the four Willy Wombat characters in the corner, that an idea finally struck in his head. Looking over towards four of them, the radical reptile spoke.

"Hey you guys, listen up!" Mikey called. "Hey, I want to talk to you."

"What is it you desire, knave?" King Lionheart asked. "A meal is not supposed to talk back to those who are going to eat it!"

"Oh, so you're gonna eat us, huh? Well, that not how a Willy Wombat critter is supposed to act!" The turtle explained. "A Willy Wombat character is supposed to make a guest feel welcome, not put them on the menu as a pizza topping!"

"Mikey, what are you doing?" Keno whispered to his friend, terrified.

"Trust me, man, I know what I'm doing." Mikey replied. "I think."

"What do you mean, eh?" Monty Moose asked, confused. "What is it we're doing wrong?"

"What you're doing wrong, is helping a disgruntled employee turned super villain, chop up and murder several guests." Michelangelo replied. "Now, how welcoming is that? How happy d you think Keno and I are, as guests?"

"Gee, we never thought about it that way." Halfcourt replied, as if she were waking up from a haze. "We were just so mad the customers left us, that when you and your young friend showed up, we just decided to lash out, and help Pizzaface attack you."

"Well, now is your chance to make up for your mistakes." Keno replied, finally catching on. "Help us to get free, and be the heroes you were supposed to be."

"Forget it, kids. If we don't stay loyal to ol' Pizzaface, he'll slice us into calzonis." Hot Spot added. "But we're not exactly happy with what we gotta do."

But as Halfcourt continued to stare at Keno and Mikey, her eyes began to narrow. Finally, the determined giraffe snuck over, and began to untie the turtle and his friend.

"Halfcourt, what are you doing, eh?" Monty Moose asked, starting to pull his saber out. "You can't possibly mean to let em go!"

"Sorry, Monty. But I can't go along with this." The basketball player replied, handing the turtles back his tabaks. "It's time this giraffe, starts doing the right thing!"

"Hey, how you get free?" Pizzaface asked in shock. "Hey, you guys, stop-a them!"

"Cowabunga!" Mikey called out,swinging his tabaks abound like crazy, and plowing into Monty and Lionheart. This time, the turtle was ready for the two Willy Wombat characters. Lionheart barely got his scepter up, before he was sent flying by one of the spinning tabaks. Monty tried to charge again, but Mikey wrapped the tabaks around the Mountie's antlers, and throwing him over his head.

"Oh no, not again!" Monty cried out, as he was sent crashing into Lionheart, knocking both of them out of the fight. "You think these antlers would be more useful in a fight, eh?"

"Why, you traitor!" Hot Spot snarled, swinging his fire axe at the giraffe. "How dare you betray us?!"

"I didn't betray you and the others, Hot Spot." Halfcourt replied, dodging the axe. She threw her basketball at the dalmatian's head, knocking him backwards. "We all betrayed everything we stood for!"

The dog tried to bite at Halfcourt's neck, but she managed to headbutt Hot Spot, knocking both of them to the ground. While the two continued to struggle, Mikey and Keno turn to face Pizzaface.

"Why, you stinking little turtle!" The angry chef raised his butcher knife in the air. "I'm a-gonna fix you and you human buddy, real good!"

Pizzaface swung his meat cleaver downward, smashing a table in half as Mikey and Keno jumped out of the way. Keno jumped at the crazed chef, bouncing off his rolls of fat, and only making him stumble forward a few steps. Mikey slammed his tabaks into Pizzaface's massive arm, causing the chef to cry out in pain.

"Agrahhhh!" The pizza chef roared. "I'm-a gonna fix you, good!"

Pizzaface punched Keno in the face, knocking him backwards to the ground. The chef then reached out and grabbed Mikey's head, slamming Mikey into the ground with his palm. Keno smashed him over the head with a kitchen chair, and Pizzaface nearly lost his balance. Spinning around, he sliced at the air with his pizza cutter leg. The pizza delivery guy dodged backward, leaving the blade to cut thin air.

"You two no stop-a me!" Pizzaface roared. "I make you ALL into pizza now!"

Pzzaface swung his meat cleaver at Mikey, who dropped his head into his shell to dodge it. Pizzaface then jumped straight at Mikey, kocking him backwards towards the heated pizza oven.

"Time to make-a da pizza!" Pizzaface roared, jumping on top of Mikey, and starting to strangle him. "Goodbye, stupid turtle!"

Mikey and the pizza chef struggled, Pizzaface trying to push him into the oven, while the turtle desperately tired to reach for his tabak. Finally getting one arm free, he smashed Pizzaface in the head with the weapon, then kicked the undead chef off of him with a kick... and sending Pizzaface tumbling into the fiery oven.

"AIEEEEEEEEE!" The crazed chef cried out, his last words being. "MAMA MIA!"

Mikey and Keno soon had gotten themselves straightened out, and were ready to leave the restaurant. King Lionhart and the others saw them off at the door, wanting to apologize for their behavior.

"Forsooth, we had no choice but to obey Pizzaface." The King explained. "Chef Antonio had discovered a strange canister of green glowing ooze, that had arrived in a shipment of restaurant equipment from China. He thought it was a pizza ingredient."

"He cooked some of it into a pizza, and it turned him into the freaky-strong monster you found him as." Monty Moose continued. "After the announcement of the restaurant's closing, Pizzaface decided he couldn't just let go, eh?"

"We used to be costumed characters in the restaurant, playing the parts and walking around with the customers in between aminatronic shows." Halfcourt explained. "But on closing day, Pizzaface tricked us into eating pizzas laced with the ooze, and we turned into real versions of our costumed characters."

"The ooze affected our minds somehow, and we now had no choice but to serve him. But with Pizzaface gone, we are now free." Hot spot finished. "Now,I suppose we will have to go out into the world, and find a new place for ourselves as mutant freaks."

"Wait, dudes, you don't need to go it alone!" Mikey protested, as he and Keno turned away for a moment. "My bros and I, we're mutants, too! Maybe we can-" But when he and Keno looked back, the other four were gone. "Aw man, I was hoping we could be buds!"

"C'mon Mikey, your brothers are probably waiting for us." Keno told his friend. "Let's get back to the lair, and we'll stop at Antonio's, and get some pizza along the way."

"Pizza?! Uhhh, nah man, I don't think so." Mikey stuck his tongue out. "I've had enough pizza for one day, what about some salad, instead?"

The two laughed as they walked away from Willy Wombat's pizzeria, this time truly leaving it abandoned. A few weeks later, the entire building would be demolished, and all the memories there, both good and bad, would become nothing more than memories.


	6. Chapter 6

Episode 6: Mutants and Mousers

"Hell-oooo? Splinter? Turtles? Anybody at home?" The female nerd called out, glancing around as she quietly entered the turtle's underground lair. "It's me, Irma! You know, April's friend?"

Walking through the living room, the surprised sound technician saw the entire place was deserted. The whole place looked eerily empty, as if it had simply been abandoned a long time ago. The television had been left on, and was showing a test pattern. An empty pizza box was laying out on the table, two flies buzzing around a few blobs of leftover cheese. And a sink full of dirty dishes sat unwashed in the kitchen.

"Ewww, it really looks like somebody forgot to clean up around here." Irma thought aloud, picking up a dirty fork off of the table, and tossing it over into the sink. "Guess Splinter never taught them to tidy up after themselves. Then again, that's not that different from most normal teenagers."

"Irma, is that you?" Donatello called out, certain he had heard his friend's voice out in the kitchen. "I'm in my lab, working on a few things!"

"Hang on a sec, Donnie!" Irma called back, as she slowly tried to work her way through the dirty mess. "I'll be there in just a minute!"

The sound tech followed the sound of his voice, and found the scientist turtle standing over some kind of strange gadget, working with a screw driver. As she entered the lab, Donatello took off his goggles, smiled, and looked up to greet her.

"Oh, hey Irma, I thought it was you." he put his goggles down again. "Hang on for a second, I need to finish this, and I'll be right with you."

"Ohhh, really? What is it that you are making?" She asked jokingly. "Is it a dimensional viewer of some kind? Or maybe it's a portable portal."

"Nah, it's Mikey's toaster, actually. That doofus actually messed it up, when he tried cooking some pizza flavored pop tarts." Donnie sighed, shaking his head. "Now, I have to clean all the gunk out and get it working again."

"Ewwww! Pizza-flavored pop tarts!?" Irma asked in disgust, sticking her tongue out. "I didn't even know they made something like that!"

"They don't. Mikey is the guy who actually invented them. He and the other two are always doing stupid stuff, and I'm always the one who has to fix everything afterwards." Donatello replied, screwing the top back onto the toaster. "Now, what can I do for you, Irma?"

"Well, I was actually looking for Michelangelo." Irma explained, pulling out a red cardboard box with a fire-breathing dragon printed on the front. "There is a sale on the new Mazes and Mutants second edition book, and I thought he might like to try it out with me."

"Sorry, he and the other turtles and Splinter are out at-" Donnie suddenly stopped, finally realizing what Irma had said. "Wait... Mazes and Monsters? As in, the role playing game?! I absolutely love that RPG! Leo and I found an old torn copy of the first edition in a junkyard, and we had a blast playing a two-player version!"

"Really? I never thought you'd be the one mutant turtle to be into role-playing games." Irma replied in surprise, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, I just thought you were into tech stuff, and science. I so totally never pegged you as a gamer nerd, like me."

"Yeah, that's what everyone seems to think." Donatello sighed. "Look, I know everyone comes to me to fix stuff, and I'm always in here fixing something, but I do have interests other than working on electronic devices! Tinkering is just a hobby of mine, I don't think about 'science science science' twenty four hours a day, seven days a week'. I also like reading, listening to music... I'd even like to start a band, or write some music someday!"

"Okay, okay, I get it... you're not a one-dimensional turtle." Irma replied with a laugh, smiling at Donatello's dramatic speech. "So, did you want to come back to my apartment, and give this brand new version of the game a try?"

"Yeah, that sounds great!" Donnie smiled, putting his tools away. "I could use a break from all of my repair work."

...

As the turtle and young woman emerged from the sewers, they started to walk towards Irma's apartment through the cool night air. Both were totally unaware that they were being watched from a nearby rooftop, as a mysterious creature had caught sight of them emerging from the darkened alleyway. A pair of compound eyes watched the pair go up the apartment's fire escape, and noted the big green turtle in the trench coat with interest.

The turtle... was a mutant. Changed by the green mutagen, as he had been. Ohhhh, this was too perfect, the creature thought to himself, finding another who had undergone the transformation... though he wasn't aware for how this fate befell the turtle. The creature, of course, had once been a respected entomologist (a scientist who studied bugs) when the university where he was working at received a canister of the mysterious liquid from an archeological dig sight in China. Upon seeing the green ooze, the scientist who would become the creature was certain the green slime was some kind of insect secretion, the ancient Chinese had collected for medicinal purposes. But when he stole the canister from the lab, and tried to examine the eerie goop firsthand, the scientist ended up mutating himself into an insect.

And ohhhhh... what a blessed, glorious change it was! Now, he was not only studying insects, as he had been; rather, he had BECOME one of his blessed insectoids himself! Ohhhh, his glorious wings and his mandibles! His wonderful pincers and second set of arms! The green ooze had changed him from a lowly human to a fabulous housefly! Now, he would spread the glory of the common insect over the face of the entire planet, and eliminate those pesky humans, who considered themselves the dominant species on the planet. This turtle would have to be exterminated too, as his kind ate insects!

But the creature was not alone in his transformation A live cockroach and fire ant from his insect collection had also been exposed, and after mutating had become like loyal pets to the creature (after some insect pheromone therapy, of course), and now obeyed his every command. As they stood on the roof watching the turtle and his human companion, the mutant roach and ant were ready to jump off and attack the pair on the ground.

"Antrax, Scumbug, NO!" The creature exclaimed, stepping in front of them. "We won't waste our mandibles on them, my brothers! We'll let the mousers handle these fools, and see how they handle themselves."

The creature flew into the air, buzzing above the apartment building, as several chomping creatures slowly swarmed their way towards the building...

...

"Oh, wow! These dice look so cool!" Donnie squealed like a fanboy, as Irma opened the box, and pulled out the contents. "I've never seen clear dice, in that many colors before!"

"Yeah, they are really cool. These dice are something new the rpg company are trying to draw in more customers." Irma explained. "But I want to see how these new stats work, and if the new rules make the game more playable."

Donatello set up the map, placing the miniatures on on the dungeon's entrance, and scattering enemies all throughout the play field. Irma looked over the books again, prepping herself to do the staring adventure module that came with the game. And so, the two began to play. Donnie rolled up a wizard, while Irma created a healer. The two traversed a dungeon together, slaying ogres and goblins, and making their way past the traps in the long and winding labyrinth.

"Ha ha, evil fish man!" Donnie gloated, as the dice roll landed in his favor. "Your weak little acid spit attack cannot hurt me!"

"Be careful, good mage! The fish men are backed by a fierce dragon!" Irma warned, pulling out the dragon miniature. "If he hits you with his flame breath, I shall heal the damage from your burns!"

Finally, they arrived at the ogre mage's chamber, where the mastermind behind the evil plot they were trying to stop.

"Look, noble wizard! It's Princess Mallory, daughter of Emperor Aleister of Malcuria!" Irma declared, looking down at the map. "She is being held in that magic bubble prison by the evil ogre mage!"

"Then we must rescue the fair maiden!" Donnie replied, as the two prepared for battle. "Lest the fiend seek to use her to take over the kingdom!"

The two had fun waging an epic battle against the boss character, as they rescued the princess, and earned a lot of treasure. The two then heated and ate a frozen pizza to celebrate their victory, laughing and joking about the game they had just played.

"Okay, those rule changes are AWESOME!" Irma exclaimed, scarfing down on a slice of extra cheese and veggie pizza. "It's a lot easier to cast spells now, and combat is way smoother!"

"Yeah, and I love how you were able remove the personification curse, and healed me at the right moment!" Donnie replied with a smile. "And I loved toasting that lizard man with a fireball."

"Hey, it was a lot of fun... though I wish we had more players than just the two of us." Irma sighed. "You said Leo liked the game... why don't we bring him in next time?"

"Yeah, I guess he would make a good fighter class- character." Donnie agreed. "He's just as passionate about honor as Splinter is."

"Yeah, your brothers and your sensei seem like an interesting bunch." Irma noted, taking a sip of her fat-free vanilla shake. "What was growing up with them like?"

"Actually, this term for Splinter is sifu, not sensei." Donnie corrected her. "And yeah, growing up with those guys was an experience. Raph always made fun of me for having Mr. Wizard as my hero, and Mikey used to mess up the volcano models I'd make with baking soda and vinegar." The turtle sighed. "Don't get me wrong, my brothers are great. But it can get frustrating dealing with siblings who don't have your interests, or understand you, at all."

"Oy vey, I sure can relate to that one." Irma rolled her eyes. "But Master Splinter seems to have supported your interest in science, and your brothers spoke highly of your scientific skills when I talked to them. Surely, it wasn't that bad growing up with them?"

"I suppose you're right, Irma." Donnie admitted. "But I never had somebody who I could really talk to, or someone who understands the technical jargon I use. So I'm really glad we were able to meet you and April."

"Thanks, Donnie. I really appreciate that." Irma smiled. "There wasn't really anyone with my tech interests growing up, and being a nerdy girl who liked fantasy an adventure movies and comics? Yeah, you can probably tell how popular I was in high school."

"Oh, come on, it couldn't have been that bad." Donnie laughed.

"You kidding me?" Irma shook her head. "I couldn't even get one of the computer geeks to take me to the prom!"

"And at least you got to go to high school." The turtle pointed out. "Besides, there had to have been someone geekier than you at school."

"Well, there was this one guy... a wormy little nerd who was really into collecting bugs in college." Irma shivered at the memory. "His name was Baxter Stockman, and he was a total weirdo who liked taking dead flies, grasshoppers, and spiders under glass. He thought bugs were superior to humans, and would sit and talk to his collection in the cafeteria."

"Whoa, what a weird-sounding fellow... and that's coming from a mutant turtle scientist." Donnie thought for a moment. "Wait a second... Stockman? Isn't that the last name of Barney Stockman, the famous robotics expert who died last year?"

"Yes, actually. Barney was Baxter's older brother." Irma explained. "The two never seemed to get along, though. I think Baxter was almost ashamed that they were related, even though they both became scientists."

"Huh, maybe it was a case of sibling rivalry. With my brothers, I can totally relate to that concept." Donnie shrugged, as he looked up at the clock on the wall, and saw how late it was getting. "In any case, we'd better wrap this up, and-"

*clank clank clank clank CLANK CLANK!*

Donatello and Irma stopped talking, as they heard the approaching sound of several metal forms approaching the apartment.

"Wait, what's that sound?" Donnie asked, quickly grabbing his Nangun staff from where it lay on the couch. "Irma, do you hear that?"

*CLANK CLANK CLANK CLANK CLANK CLANK!*

"Yeah, it sounds like it's coming towards the apartment." Irma replied. "It sounds like it came up the stairs, and is heading this way..."

The metallic sounds stopped outside the apartment door, and the two friends began to hear a different sound outside of the apartment.

*CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP*

*BOOM!*

Suddenly, dozens of small, silver, robot-like creatures with big heads and no arms came pouring into the room, their iron jaws chomping through the door and wall.

"What the shell?!" Donatello exclaimed, raising his Nangun defensively. "What the heck are these crazy things?!"

"I don't believe it... Donnie, they're mousers!" Irma cried out, racing over to the stove, and grabbing a frying pan. "These are robots Barney Stockman created... I saw them years ago, during a science exhibition in college!"

"Well, whatever they are, and wherever they came from, they're about to become scrap!" Donnie cried out, raising his bow staff. "Come on, they're not taking us without a fight!"

As the army of metallic menaces lunged at the two, Donnie and Irma raised their weapons, ready to strike...

*SMASH!*

Donatello brought his nangun down upon the head of one of the mousers, shattering the robot into a thousand pieces. Two more of the metallic monsters rushed him from either side, and the turtle with the purple bandana slammed his staff to the left and right, destroying them both.

"Hey, these creatures aren't as tough as they look!" Donnie shouted, smashing a fourth mouser. "Irma, let these suckers have it!"

"HIYA!" Irma cried out, smashing one of the robots with her frying pan. "You're right, these guys are cannon fodder!" Racing over to the drawer, Irma pulled out a razor sharp butcher knife, and slashed towards one of the mousers, cleaving it in half. "Ha ha! I got a natural 20 on my attack roll!"

"Good one!" Donnie laughed, smashing another oner. "Hey, check this out! That had to have been worth at least 80 experience points!"

"Well, the enemy is still coming!" Donnie declared, smashing two more of the robots. "We need to continue our assault!"

The two brave warriors fought on, Donnie smashing and crushing their heads with his bow staff, and Irma slicing with the giant knife in one hand, and crushing with the pan in the other. Wave after wave of mousers poured in, and Donnie started sweeping his nangun staff back and forth, taking out dozens of mousers with each swipe. Irma joined in with kicking the little monsters away between each swipe of her two weapons, knocking away the little terrors nipping at her tennis shoes.

*SMASH!*

*SMASH!*

*SMASH! SMASH! SMASH! SMASH!*

It was such a wonderful experience for Donatello; fighting side-by-side with Irma, tearing through these endless hordes of mechanical terrors. It reminded him of the dungeon crawling they had just done in the tabletop role-playing game, the mousers calling to mind the kolbolds they had been slaying in the dungeon they had recently traversed. It reminded the turtle how much he enjoyed the thrill of adventures such as this one, and how much he wished his brothers were here to enjoy it.

"Donnie, look out!" Irma cred out, noticing several mousers gnawing their way through the floor above, and trying to come down from above in a surprise attack. "They are trying to get the drop on you!"

As the mousers dropped down, Donnie raised his nangun staff above his head, spinning it around like a helicopter blade, and shattering the mechanical monsters who dropped down on him from above. This distraction allowed one of the mousers to get close to the turtle, and bite down on his foot.

*CHOMP!*

"Ouch! THAT HURT!" Donnie yelled, kicking the biting mouser off, and shattering it. "MY TOES MY TOES!"

Again and again and again they smashed through the little robot pests, Donnie smashing their mechanical brains out, and Irma skewering them through the head like shish kebabs with her butcher knife. Finally, the swarm of mousers began to taper off, and the two victorious heroes stood over a smashed pile of mechanical parts, both of them out breath.

"Wow, I cant' believe those things just came out of nowhere." Donnie gasped, finally catching his breath. "Why did Barney Stockman build those little terrors, anyway?"

"They were meant as a form of pest extermination, but Barney died before they could be sold on the open market." Irma replied, still sounding winded. "The only one who would still have access to the two hundred or so he had already built from Barney's estate would be... _Baxter himself..._ "

Before the sound technician could follow up on that idea, the apartment building around them began to shake and rumble. Cracks began to form in the plaster and masonry, as the whole structure started coming apart.

"What's going on now?!" Irma panicked. "Why's everything shaking?"

"The mousers must've eaten the foundation and support right out from underneath the building!" Donnie realized, as he grabbed Irma's arm, and raced over towards the window. "The fight was just a distraction! We've got to get out of here, right now!"

Donatello and Irma promptly leaped out the window, and onto the fire escape. Donnie picked her up, and jumped across to the roof of the neighboring building, as they watched the entire structure collapse behind them.

"Boy, they sure don't make em' like they used to." Donnie joked, ignoring the total shock of what they had just been through. "I bet empire city's demolition crews wish they had some of those little monsters."

"Eeesh, good thing all the other tenants were out while their apartments were being fumigated." Irma sighed, trying to hide her horror and sadness over the loss of all her personal possessions. "Looks like I'll be rooming with April for awhile."

As the structure crumbled into a pile of rubble, thoughts began to turn over in Donatello's head. Irma had indicated those mousers had been sent by Baxter Stockman, but why had the scientist sent them after him and Irma, and why had they arrived just as he and Irma were talking about the insect-loving nerd? Donnie wondered if there were more powerful forces at work here, as things seemed to be happening that just went beyond mere coincidence. But as these thoughts raced through the turtle's head, he looked at a nearby rooftop, and for a second he could've sworn he saw three angry insect men, all glaring at him and Irma. But when he blinked, the visions were gone.

"Come on, we'd better get back to the lair, and tell the others what just happened." Donnie told her, as the two made their way across the rooftop. "Besides, I think this night air is starting to make me see things..."

On a nearby rooftop, an enraged fly-creature watched the turtle and his human friend go. How dare they survive his attack? Destroying that building had cost him all of his dead brother's mousers, and he had no way of making any more! Still, he had witnessed firsthand the turtle's evident power, and he had overheard the creature spoke about others of his kind. Yes, this would an interesting battle, indeed... one that would not only determine if man or insect would would the world as the superior species, but wither turtle on insect would be the one to survive, as well. He would return to 'bug' these turtles again, and next time, he and his insects would be ready...

...the battle for survival was about to begin, and Baxter Stockman was determined to make sure the species with multiple legs... the insects... would be the last ones standing...


	7. Chapter 7

**Episode seven: Rage of the rats**

The jungle was a wild place... filled with dangers and perils beyond imagining. To those who live there, survival is a way of life. To those who are merely visiting, their naivete about the dangers of this place can be certain death. the jungle is a place where the strong survive; and the weak, if not protecting themselves, are sure to perish.

But is is especially dangerous here, for this savage and brutal jungle... is the urban jungle.

At the very center of Empire city, stood an abandoned amusement park. The old carnival was filled with boarded up attractions, and rusty, unmoving rides. Once vibrant and filled with happy park-goers in decades past, it finally succumbed to a failing urban economy in the seventies. now, it stood as an eerie graveyard of iron and steel amidst a crumbling neighborhood. The city had optimistic plans to reopen and restore it soon... but for now, the park remained in ruins, a dormant reminder of happier times in Empire city.

At the very center of this abandoned carnival, stood an old jungle-themed fun house that no human being had set foot inside for many years. Old mechanical monsters and pop-up jungle horrors lined a dust-covered hallway that once carried moving cars along an old, rusty track. But now... a lone, hooded figure carrying a gnarled wooden wizard's staff walked those hallways, slowly making his way towards the castle's grand ballroom. There, an entire room filled with statues of tigers, fake bamboo plants, and a giant bubbling cauldron sitting over an open flame. The hooded figure approached the cauldron, and sprinkled a strange red colored dust into the cauldron, while chanting a series of unintelligible words.

"Oh, spirits of this troubled and forsaken city." The towering figure pleaded, kneeling before the cauldron. "Show me one of the terrapin creatures who is destined to save your people from destruction."

A large cloud of smoke shot up from the cauldron, and the giant saw an image of Leonardo the Ninja turtle, practicing with his dao swords in the lair's dojo. Observing the turtle's moves, he smiled at the skill the chosen champion's ability.

"Ah, it appears our brave warrior has some impressive fighting skills." The towering figure mused, leaning on his wizard's staff with a glowing green crystal on top. "But even with the abilities his sifu has taught him, I must still observe the turtle they call Leonardo further."

The towering figure in the long brown robes pulled back his hood... to reveal a large elephant head, complete with large ears and a long trunk. But this was no mask the strange sorcerer was wearing, but rather the actual animal head of a mutant magician. Putting on his feathered wizard's headdress and mask, the same as the kind worn by enchanters in the fantasy games Donnie enjoyed, the elephant mage began to chant;

"Oh, troubled and tortured spirits of empire city." The elephant raised his wizard staff over his head. "Show me the latest of the brave Leonardo's battles, so that I, Doctor El, may observe his worthiness in leading the other chosen ones in the battle to come!"

The images in the cauldron shifted again, as a tale of Leonardo, sounding as if it were narrated by the turtle himself, began to unfold before Doctor El's eyes...

...

The sky is so dark over Empire City this time of night.

As I run across the city, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, I feel the cool night air blowing in my face. The darkness embraces me, as I hear the noise of the traffic and pedestrians on the streets below. The full moon shines down from above, bathing my surroundings in an eerie glow. It creates a perfect mood and atmosphere for my evening patrol, and it's not long before I encounter my first workout for the night. It's when I'm passing over the natural history museum, that I see a few guests visit after hours.

"Hurry it up, Dag!" One of the goons barked, looking at his partner working with the tools. "Hurry up, and get that alarm disabled!"

"Keep yer pants on, Spats!" The other thug replied, pulling out wires, and cutting them with his pliers. "I'm almost done!"

I recognize one of the two troublemakers; the one giving orders is the famous thief, Spats Sparkle. He's wanted in seven states for museum heists involving valuable historical artifacts, and the short guy, Dag, must be his assistant.I can't believe my luck, in running into them as they are about to carry out a heist.

"Okay, I'm in!" Dag called back to his partner. "C'mon, lets get in there, and rob em' blind!"

As I leap to the museum's rooftop, I smile. I've done well in running into these troublemakers before they could carry out another heist, I'll easily defeat both of them, and leave the pair tied up for the authorities. But as I leap up to the rooftop, and go to enter the skylight, I hear a familiar voice speak up from behind me.

"Greetings, noble _gui."_ The voice greeted me, as I spun around in surprise. "It seems the Tao has determined that we should meet again."

"You!" As soon as I laid eyes upon here, I remembered. The black bodysuit, the Jiang sword on her back. "You're the woman from our raid on the foot clan headquarters!"

"Indeed. My name is Lotus Blossom, and I have taken to heart the words you spoke to me on that night several weeks ago." Lotus bowed to me, and we both looked down through the skylight to watch spats and his companion sneak around the place. "That is why I am here, to stop these fiends from robbing the museum."

"More like you're here to loot the place yourself." I retort, shaking my head. "How could you have possibly known they were going to rob this place tonight, unless you are in on their plans to rob it, too."

"I am not here to rob this place, though I don't believe I'll be able to convince you otherwise." She unsheathed her sword, and moved to open the skylight. "Look... Leonardo, I believe it is? I heard your brothers call out your name on the battlefield. Anyway Leonardo, we can either take these two ill-mannered ruffians down together, or we can pull out our blades, and do battle once again, while these two criminals escape with their ill-begotten gains."

"Very well, let's go." I sigh, pulling out one of my dao blades. "But I'll be keeping an extra eye on you!"

As we gazed down into the museum, we found ourselves staring into a room that was filled with displays covering the European black death. I shivered at the macabre thirteenth-century tapestries, depicting the deaths of whole towns and villages, with skeletons standing over the dead, triumphantly. At the very center of the room, sits a dark-looking stone coffin, it's lid chained down, and the sides decorated with all sorts of carvings of rats. The two thieves were drawn straight towards the great stone coffin, and began to use their tools to break the chains off of the coffin.

"Gee, Spats, what do ya think is in this big stone box?" Dag asked, as he cut the last of the chain with his pair of bolt cutters. "It must be something really valuable, if they got it all locked up like this!"

"It's probably a corpse of some rich guy who died during the black plague." Spats explained, as they used their crowbars to start to pry the stone coffin's lid off. "They might've buried some gold and jewels with him when he died."

"Well, whatever is in there, neither one of you creeps are really going to get to enjoy it for very long." I exclaim, as Louts and I drop through the skylight, and ready our weapons. "So why don't the two of you just back away from the coffin, and put your hands in the air."

"Who the heck are these costumed freaks?!" Dag asked, as he and Spats pulled out their pistols. "What is this, Halloween?!"

"It's one of those turtles I head Big Louie's goons talk about!" Spats cried out. Waste em'!"

The two thugs opened fire, and Louts and hide were forced to take refuge behind a nearby wall. As the two thugs sent bullets flying all over the place, I curse myself over my own stupidity. This was the second time I let myself get pinned down by gunfire in this very museum, the first time being the fight with Don Turtelli's mobsters, and I made the same mistakes all over again. I charged in without any sort of plan, and now we were pinned down, powerless to stop our attackers.

It was then that Lotus pulled out a rope dart, and nodding towards me, threw it right at Dag's gun, knocking it out of his hand. I did the same with a kunai, sending Spats's weapon flying, as well. The two of us rushed out, raising our swords to the pair of crooks.

"Now, as my turtle friend was saying..." Lotus grinned. "... Are you going to surrender, and make this easy on yourselves?"

But as the two put up their hands in the air, the lid on the stone coffin continued to open on it's own. Without the two thieves noticing, a tall, lanky, and shadowy figure rose from the coffin, raising it's hands over Spats and Dag. Lotus and I were too terrified to say anything, as the gruesome form lunged forward, grabbing the two thieves, and darting back into the shadows behind the stone coffin. We heard the sound of struggling, and the two crook's terrified screams, before trail of blood oozed out onto the floor in front of us. The shadowy figure then emerged into the light, and Lotus and I became even more horrified than before.

"Oh, my my my, but if that wasn't the best meal I've had in several hundred years, ever since those stupid German villagers locked me in that damned box." The creature laughed, licking the warm, red blood off of his fingers. "Then again, I suppose drowning their children and eating them didn't endear me to them very much, did it?"

This creature, whatever it was, is the most terrifying horror I've seen up until this point. Have you ever seen that early black-and white horror movie, Nosferatu? The one about the creepy vampire, named count Orlok? Well, this freak looked just like him; same pale, rat-like face, same pointed bald head, and same sharpened fangs. The figure wore a black coat and pants, and his whole body up to his neck was covered in bandages and tied rags. As he stood there, several rats came scurrying into the room, scurrying up and swarming all over the creature's body, like they were some kind of beloved pets.

"Ahhh, there you are, my children!" The creature hissed, petting the rat that sat on his shoulder. "Oh, how I have missed you, after all those long centuries of imprisonment!"

"Who... who are you?" Louts blossom asked in shock, disgusted by the creature in front of her. "What are you?"

"Ahh, and what's this? A little turtle, and his pet human?" The rat-like beast bowed to us. "Over the millennia, I have been known by many names; Lord Ha'ntann of Karnak, Victor Falco of Venice, and the pied piper of Hamlin. You, however, can call me the name that stupid living nutcracker I once battled gave me...I am the rat king."

The two of us can only stare in this creature in disbelief, like something that had stepped right from one of Mikey's horror films. Drinking blood, coming out of a sealed coffin, looking like a walking corpse... I hold up my sword in the dim light, to see if this 'rat king' is some kind of vampire. But there is his reflection in my blade reveals he is not a member of the walking dead. He must then be some kind of ghoul or demon. The lord of all rats, that was sealed away, but we have accidentally unleashed back upon the earth once more. Nodding towards Lotus, the two of us realize we must somehow re-seal this monster, or somehow destroy it before it can bring harm to other people.

"Hear me, oh Rat King... after seeing you brutally massacre those two criminals, the Tao demands that we cannot allow you to survive." I tell him, as Lotus and I ready our weapons. "Prepare to defend yourself, monster!"

"Oh, I don't think so, my good terrapin." The Rat King snapped his fingers. "I'm afraid my new servants here, are going to take a serious bite out your shell!"

We looked to where he was gesturing, and saw, to our horror, the corpses of Spats and Dag rose from the ground. their faces now looked ghoulish and rat-like, and their eyes blazed with a hate that had not been there before. Even glancing at the two as they closed in on us, Lotus and I could both see they were not breathing, revealing they had become two undead rat ghouls, like their dark master.

"Well, enjoy playing with my two little pets, here." The rat king told us, waving goodbye in a mocking manner. "I'm off to see how this world has changed, ta ta!"

And with that, his body instantly turned into a giant swarm of rats, who all then skittered away.

The two rat zombies jumped at us, baring their new claws and teeth, as they made for out throats. Lotus swiftly dodged Dag's claws, rolling to the left, and kicking the undead horror away. The Dag-rat then jumped again for her neck, baring it's sharp fangs, as Louts swiftly swung her jian, lopping it's head clean off. Meanwhile, Spats launches himself at me, and I block his steel-sharp teeth with my dao sword. headbutting him away, I quickly back flip over the rat zombie as he attacks again, and spin around and chop him straight down the middle, cleaving the walking rodent corpse right in two.

"Ugh, I can't believe he did that to those poor goons." I shake my head, looking down at the two corpses. "Not even Spats and Dag deserved this!"

"We must go out there, and stop this rat king from harming others!" Lotus agreed. "Before he turns the whole city into Rat-people!"

Leaving the two messy corpses on the floor of the museum, the two of us started racing across the rooftops, searching for any sign of the ghouls. As our eyes scanned the streets below, Lotus looked over, and tried to start some light conversation with me.

"This is what we both live for, isn't it?" She asked me. "The thrill of battle, the clash of swords and steel... warriors such as ourselves only truly live when we are knee-deep in combat, yes?"

"I don't know about you Lotus, but I fight for honor and justice. I draw my blades to protect innocent, not simply to for the thrill of battle itself." I replied, glaring over at her. "Ever since I was a child, I loved reading the stories of the great Li Yang. He was the panda _Youxia_ knight, who traveled around and protected the weak from the strong. I so wanted to be like him; an anthropomorphic animal who used his martial arts talent to be a hero." I averted my eyes. "That's all I ever wanted to do, to be a champion of those who could not defend themselves."

"That is not true for me, Leonardo. I fight simply for the sheer joy of combat." Lotus tells me candidly. "When I was growing up in Empire City's Chinatown, my mother and father wanted me to be strong, so I could take care of myself. So my parents sent me to the foot monastery at age ten, and I learned how to fight and defend myself. Master Mogo's lessons in Kung-fu filled my heart with a burning passion for the art, and I have always found myself drawn towards battle... though I do not have a taste for the evil violence and brutality that the Foot Clan now embraces."

"And that's why you left." I reply, a smile on my face. The two of us continue to talk, finding common ground in our mutual love of martial arts. I am able connect with Lotus in a way I simply can't with my brothers, and she understands my desire and dream to follow the code of _wuxia_. The two of us found so many things to bond over. We could have continued to enjoy each other's company for hours... if he hadn't spotted several of the Rat King's new minions in the alleyways below.

"Aieee, get away from me!"

"Help, monsters!"

"No! Please don't please- ARGHHHHH!"

It appeared the rat king had corrupted nearly thirty people really quickly; the rat zombies were running everywhere, attacking innocent people, and terrifying most of the populace. Lotus and I jumped down to street level, and the swarm of rat men and women forgot about attacking the civilians, and all came rushing towards us.

"Looks like the enemy has us surrounded." I smiled, drawing my second blade, and holding my dao swords in the ready position. "Are to ready for righteous battle?"

"It is the will of heaven that we will be victorious." Lotus grinned, gripping her jian tightly. "Let us send these demons straight back to hell!"

We both lunge to attack, each launching everything we have at the rat creatures. As the first two come rushing towards me, I chuck two kunai straight at their heads, burying the throwing knives right into their skulls. Jumping forward, I decapitate the next two of the rat zombies, causing black blood to come squirting out of the neck stump, as the body collapsed to the ground. Another reaches to grab my shoulders, and I chop his arms off, before chopping his legs of in response.

"Graaarrrrrr!"

"Hissss!"

"Kill the turtles and the witch!"

More of the rat zombies come crawling at us along the walls, and leaping down from the rooftops. Two of them came running at Lotus from either side, and she responded by stabbing one through the chest, then rapidly pulled her sword out, and stabbed the one behind her. Kicking away one of the foul rats, she pushed her sword right into his open mouth, shoving his blade down the zombie's throat, and bringing her blade straight out though his rib cage. As more of the creatures come pouring in, the two of us attack like lightning.

CUT!

SLASH!

HACK!

CHOP!

Again and again we slice away, blood splattering everywhere, and body parts flying all over the place. As I send the rat zombies' severed arms, legs, and heads to the left and right, I can only fell disgust at my actions. These monsters used to be people before the rat king sank his fangs into them, and here I am chopping them into bits, like a butcher with a bunch of meat. I wanted to use my martial arts abilities to help people, not cleave up the victims of a horrible monster. How did I end up helping to release this monster, then slaughtering the very innocents I was trying to protect?

We finally succeeded in taking down the last of the rat creatures, when the Rat King reappeared on a nearby rooftop. The two of us climb the fire escape, and face the monster who caused all of this blood and gore.

"Yoo hoo, turtle! Kung-fu lady!" The Rat King waved to us. "Can you come up and play?"

"This is the end of the road, Rat King." I declare, as the two of us point our blades at his throat. "Time to pay for the lives you've taken tonight!"

"Oh, I wouldn't have a problem with that... if I had actually taken any lives." The Rat King grinned like a wicked demon. "Where are these victims I've created?"

Puzzled, Lotus and I look over the edge of the building. Much to our surprise, all of the bodies and blood of the rat zombies are gone, as if they were never there. As we look back to the rat king, the rodent-like demon burst out laughing.

"What... what did you do to the bodies?!" Lotus asked in confusion. "How did you make all those rat zombies disappear?"

"The answer is quite simple, my dear... they were never there to begin with." The Rat King shook his head. "If you were to go back and look in the museum, you would find those two thugs who opened my casket, unconscious."

"But, we fought all those rat zombies..." I protested. "There was no way you could have fooled us, we saw-"

"You saw, what I wished you to see, for I command all things related to rats...including illusions." He conjured up a rat in his hand, before popping it in his mouth, and eating it. "It was so much fun watching the two of you fighting then air, cutting and slashing away at nothing." The rat king replied triumphantly. "You and your friend have been a whole lot of fun, little turtle... I hope we hope get a chance to play again."

And right before our eyes, the Rat King then turned into a swarm of rats again, who all scurried away in every direction. Lotus and I merely stare at each other for several minutes, dumbfounded, before I finally look back to where the rat king had stood, and spoke up.

"Great Tainzun... did- did any of that just really happen?" I ask in confusion." This has got to be the weirdest night I've ever had out on patrol."

I stand there for several moments, before looking back to see Lotus was already gone. With a sigh, I start running across the rooftops again. It was time for me to go home, after one of the most confusing adventures of my life...

...

Looking deeply into the pool, Doctor El nodded at what we saw in the cauldron with the turtle with the blue bandanna. This turtle was still raw and inexperienced, much like his four turtle brothers. But like the others, Leo had a whole lot of potential that was evident to the mutant elephant. Ever since he had been a simple shaman in India, Doctor El had been good at seeing the value in individuals. That ability only increased after he mistakenly used a container of ooze as an ingredient in a healing potion, and accidentally turned himself into an elephant. The sorcerer realized he would have to keep his eyes on the turtle for the months to come, and make sure that Leonardo would be the hero the world needed when the time is right...


End file.
